To Charlottetown
by Bloodtoast
Summary: Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who could have predicted how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey.
1. London

**To Charlottetown  
_Chapter 1/Prologue: London_**

_Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who knew how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey._

_**A/N: **__I'm really excited about this new chapter story. It all started off as my friend, Debs, daring me to "do that popular idea and send 'em on a road trip," as she so eloquently put. But this one will not be a, "they drove around for a bit and stopped here and did this." I'm going to actually go through some cities, with each city having an individual "adventure" that reels Dasey in closer to us. Since I've been to half the cities I'm planning on writing about, it shouldn't be that hard, right?_

_Lots of research went into this. Yes, even Canadians don't know much about their own country's "travelling distances" and such if they've never been. I'll try my hardest, and as I've already said, I put a lot of research into this._

* * *

"To _where_?" Derek squawked, leaning forward with his mouth hanging open. Really, his incredulous look was almost identical to the other kids sitting squeezed together on the couch. Casey sat on the arm of the couch, with Derek beside her. Marti sat on his lap, looking completely oblivious to the whole conversation, with Edwin at his side and Lizzie at the very end.

"Charlottetown," Nora said with a slight smile still plastered on her face. George smirked and put an arm around his wife proudly.

"_Where_?" Edwin asked, leaning forward to stare at Nora as if she were an insignificant bug under a microscope. Casey sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Charlottetown, you know Prince Edward Island's capital?" she said.

"Prince _who_?" Edwin asked, peering past Lizzie to stare at Casey.

"Ed's not very good at geography," George said, waving his son off quickly. "But what do the rest of you think?"

Casey's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. What did she think? She thought this was a horrible idea. She thought being cramped with her family for almost three days until they got to Charlottetown was horrible. And, most of all, being confined to a space no bigger than a bathroom with _Derek _was the worst. She knew without a doubt he and Ed would be passing – Casey interrupted the thought with a shiver as she zoned back into the conversation.

"Ralph and I were planning on spending all summer at the beaches." The cocky smirk on his face was enough to warn Casey he'd be 'babe watching' or whatever he called it. "But really," Derek continued, settling back against the couch, "The rest of you can go ahead. I'll sacrifice myself a house-sit."

George laughed mockingly, causing Derek to frown deeply. "No way are we leaving you alone with an empty house for almost two months."

"Wait – all of summer break?" Casey interrupted, her lips parting quickly over and over again as if she couldn't quite find the right words to say.

"What's the matter? Is Space-Case going to miss out on _studying_?" Derek mocked, perking his bottom lip out as he gave her a mock-pitying look.

Casey flicked the side of his head, growling disgustingly at him.

"This was a bad idea…" Nora began. Casey's eyes shot up to try and meet her mother's, but Nora was too busy looking at the floor. Even Casey could tell she was more then a little disappointed her family didn't cherish the idea of a road trip.

"N-no, I think it's a great idea," Casey interjected, sitting up a little straighter as she plastered a fake smile on. Nora peered up at her daughter and smiled timidly at her.

"Thanks Sweetie," she said lightly.

"And I think it's great, too," Edwin chirped in.

"You do?" Derek, Casey and Lizzie both said at the same time. Edwin looked around carefully.

"Yeah, you see, I've got this new pitch, and if I can reach out to buyers all over –,"

"Ed, shut-up," Derek said briskly without meeting his brother's gaze. Edwin's lips shut immediately as peered back at George and Nora.

"And I want to go, too," Lizzie added, "It'll be nice to have a little break from London. And since we don't have enough money to travel to Hawaii or anything, I guess a road trip is cool."

Marti jumped out of Derek's lap and swung her arms up in the air.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," she said with a fake British accent. She paused and met everyone's cautious gaze. "We're going on an adventure!" she hollered. George bent down to pick Marti with a tight look on his face while Derek made a doubting noise in the back of his throat.

Casey looked down at her stepbrother. In all honesty, she wanted to join in on his doubt. Have an adventure? Yeah right. The closest thing to thrill they'd face on this trip would probably be trying to survive the Venturi's boys constant bodily functions poisoning the air.

Nora and George now faced Derek head on. Casey knew the look in their eyes. Whether or not Derek wanted to, he was going. She glanced at him and saw him suck in a deep, dreading breath.

"Okay," he muttered. Nora smiled broadly and clasped her hands together tightly as she bounced slightly. George smiled at her youth-like antics and planted a kiss on her temple. Casey and Derek both look away, disgusted, and met each other's look.

A shiver fell down Casey's spine as she mirrored his expression with the one on her face. She wanted to break the uncomfortable eye contact, but found she couldn't until Nora started talking again.

"Well, you all better start packing. We've decided to leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Casey interjected. That hardly left enough time to plan, pack and say goodbye to Emily. Nora gave her daughter a pitying look, slumping her shoulders slightly.

"I know honey, but if we want to get back on time for back-to-school shopping and have enough time to do everything we planned for P.E.I., we have to leave soon." Casey nodded her understanding as she slipped off the couch and headed off to her room to pack.

* * *

"Jesus Ed, what'd you stuff in there, a body?" This was the sounds Casey awoke to, and immediately the hectic aura of the house had robbed her of her grogginess. She ripped the covers off her body and hurriedly changed into jean capris and a fancy red shirt with a black belt tied around her waist loosely. She shoved her pyjamas into her suitcase, than hauled it out into the hallway.

She successfully managed to get her suitcase to the door without incident before she was swooped into a huge hug by Nora. She planted a giant kiss on Casey's temple, and the teenager could practically feel Nora's excitement radiating off her.

"Isn't this exciting, honey?" Nora exclaimed, pulling her daughter out an arms-length away. "It's like the time we went to Niagara Falls. Remember how you –,"

"Mom!" Casey laughed. "Don't remind me about that trip. It still gives me nightmares." Casey shivered as the memories of her vomiting into a trashcan after the long drive to Niagara Falls. Sickness had claimed Casey for most of their 3-day trip, and why Nora thought that trip had been 'exciting' was a loss for Casey.

"But you know, sweetheart," Nora said, leaning in close to her daughter, "This trip is going to be double the 'fun' with brothers like –."

"Derek Venturi is in the house!" Derek exclaimed as he plodded down the stairs, tossing his backpack over the banister so it landed in the huge pile of other suitcases. Casey rolled her eyes.

"Stepbrothers, Mom. And you sure we can call it 'fun'?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just try and enjoy yourself, Case." Nora's lips tightened as she pulled away from her daughter to help George pack their bags into their rented mini van. As soon as her mother left her side, Derek's arm swung around her shoulders.

"So, space-Case, you ready to spend two months worth of 'family time' with your darling stepbrother?"

Casey shrugged out of his touch and gave him a peculiar look.

"Really, you think I want to spend time with you?" Casey snapped back. Derek held up his hands defensively.

"It's not my fault. Nora and George don't seem to realize that..."

"… Forcing us to spend time together won't help us like each other," Casey finished, nodding her head. She paused, and from the corner of her eye she could see that Derek's body went rigid.

Casey's eyes flashed to meet his, and she twisted her lips in dislike. "That whole 'I just finished your sentence' thing? It never happened."

Derek nodded his head in agreement as Edwin stomped down the stairs, clutching a stuffed teddy bear to his chest.

"Dad! Dad! Ted won't fit in my suit case! Dad!" he hollered, gesturing wildly to the bear in his arms. George's head popped up from around the corner of the doorway, and he stared at Edwin intently.

"So?"

"Dad! I have to bring Ted! He's my companion, my friend. You know he'll get lonely, and I just can't bring myself to leave him here all by himself."

Derek started laughing, and even Casey couldn't help but let out a quiet, girlish chuckle.

Edwin fixed Derek with a glare, crossing his arms quickly. "What are you laughing at?" he asked, cocking a brow, "We all know you have your stuffed duck tucked away."

Casey observed how Derek's body jolted forward, as if wanted to chase Edwin to pulverize him, but decided against it at the last minute.

"I don't own a stuffed duck," Derek replied, curling his lips in disgust.

"Yeah, you do. What's his name now? Quacky? Quacker? Oh, no, wait, it was Cracker, right?" Derek lost his self control and bolted forward, chasing Edwin outside as threats and insults poured from his mouth.

Casey laughed quietly as Nora entered the house with George tucked in by her side. She smiled and brushed her hands together.

"We're all ready to go!" she exclaimed happily. Derek and Edwin reappeared in the doorway while Lizzie and Marti joined the family from the kitchen.

"Alright: seating plans," George said excitedly.

"George and I will take turns driving, so we'll be up front. Behind us will be Lizzie and Casey, and in the back will be Marti, Ed and Derek. Any complaints?" Nora asked.

Casey let out a sigh of relief. For a fleeting moment, she thought she'd had to sit next to Derek. Thank God her parents were so understanding and let her sit next to Lizzie.

One thing passed through Casey's head as the Venturis and McDonalds shuffled out of the doorway: Emily.

"I'll be right back," she whispered to Nora, before she jogged across the lawn and over to the Davis'. She knocked hurriedly, and it was a long moment before Emily answered.

"Hey Casey! I didn't think we were hanging out today. Are we?" Emily peered at Casey hurriedly, her eyes wide and far away in thought.

"No, don't worry Em. But… I've got bad news."

"Oh no."

"Yeah, my family and I are going on vacation. With the Venturis," Casey added. It may seem a little rude, but she still didn't quite feel like the Venturis were her family. They were just… people she lived happily with, with the exception of one.

"What? Where?" The twinkle in Emily's eyes proved she was excited for her friend.

"Charlottetown." Emily paused, squinting her eyes at Casey as if she were retarded.

"_Where?_"

"Charlottetown! It's in Prince Edward Island," Casey added. A car honked in the distance, but both girls hardly acknowledged this as they continued with their conversation.

"P.E.I.," Emily said slowly, perking a brow, "as in Canada's P.E.I.?"

"Yup," Casey said quickly. Emily frowned, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Ah, well… I guess this is it, then. When are you coming back?"

Casey let out a deep breath as she said, "August."

The car honked again and Emily sighed frustratingly. As Casey gestured slightly to the awaiting car, Emily nodded her head slowly in understanding.

"Well, I'll see you then," Emily mumbled as they hugged.

"I'll miss you, Em."

"I'll miss you, too. And hey, you might actually have fun," Emily added, smiling as they pulled away. Casey snorted and rolled her eyes at her friend's words.

"I might've actually believed you, if Derek was left behind." The car honked again, and the girls' hugged once more before Casey trudged back across the lawn and got into her seat next to Lizzie.

"What were you doing back there? Writing a book on how to say 'goodbye'?" Derek huffed. Unfortunately for Casey, Derek's spot in the car was directly behind her. He reached out and tugged a strand of her hair and she sighed deeply in annoyance.

"Unlike you, Derek, I actually cherish my relationships," Casey huffed.

"Oh, and I don't? You just think I don't because I don't 'cherish' the small, small one we have."

Casey gasped mockingly, twisting in her seat to face Derek. "I didn't even know we had one! It must be that small and insignificant I never realized it was there."

Derek leaned toward her and perked an eyebrow.

"When did you get so sassy?" he asked.

"About the same time I realized you were an a—."

"Casey!" Nora yelled.

"Derek," George huffed, glancing in the review mirror at the two teens. "Can we please go five minutes without a fight? _Please_?" he asked. Casey felt like pitying him, as his voice was already strained. She wanted to apologize when she felt Derek tug on her hair again.

She inwardly groaned and crossed her arms.

Yes, it was going to be a horribly long road trip, and to tell the truth, Casey was not looking forward to it at all.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**I'm not at all happy how this first chapter turned out. It's rushed, it's OOC… Meh, I think I'll go back and fix it when I feel comfortable with the flow of the story. Hope you enjoyed! And don't forget to review. Because…**

_**-pulls out guitar-**_  
_**Reviews are the sweet joys of life!  
A**__**nd if you don't review I'll come at ya with a knife!**_

**Just kidding. Or am I? But review, please, and tell me if I should continue.**


	2. Kitchener

**To Charlottetown  
_Chapter 2: Kitchener_**

_Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who could have predicted how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey._

_**A/N**__: A pinch of Lizwin and a dash of Dasey, and what does that give us? A hearty bowlful of fluffy, head-to-toe warming soup. Now with condensed cheese!_

_I'm proud of this chapter. It's much more well-written then the prologue. (A.K.A. "London".)_

* * *

To Nora, it seemed like this had been the first time all the children in their household were silenced in such a confined space. She glanced over her shoulder at the kids and smiled dimly. Casey was reading a thick novel, while Lizzie was staring intently out the window with her hand cupping her chin.

Marti was snoring softly from her place squished between her brothers, her head gently resting on Derek's shoulder. She shook her head in amazement how Derek could only be a 'softie' for Marti.

Edwin had his head leaned back against the headrest of his seat, and Nora couldn't decide whether he was asleep or just bored out of his mind. Derek, on the other hand, was busy listening to his MP3 player as he silently 'air guitar-ed' to the beat of the music.

She swivelled back, facing the windshield and let out a deep breath. Better enjoy this moment while it –

"Der-_ek_!" Casey screeched. Her voice was so loud she saw George jump, causing the car to swerve slightly. The car next to them on the highway honked loudly as they passed, and Nora could've sworn the driver flipped them off.

"Derek, give me back my book!" Casey screamed. She spun in her seat and reached back, her fingers desperately trying to close around her book, but Derek kept it well out of reach. He cleared his throat and sucked in a deep breath.

"_Oh, woe is the soul who can not feel love. Love be the grandest emotion of all. Suffocating, impossible, painful, and joyous. They all represent what I endure, and woe to me, as I fell into forbidden love._"

He paused, his eyes flicking to meet Casey's, daring her to move another inch. Casey, in turn, paused, her eyes flickering from Derek's to the book and back.

"Give it back," she said in a dangerously low tone. Derek cocked his head to the side, as if not understanding, as anger seethed within Casey's veins. Derek turned back to the book and opened his mouth to speak, but Casey had enough. She ripped off her seatbelt and flung herself into the space between her seat and Lizzie's.

Derek, not expecting this, pressed his back up against the chair rigidly at Casey's proximity. She reached out, grabbed his shirt collar and reached for the book. Her fingers grazed the cover before he flung it in the opposite direction, laughing at Casey's poor attempt at being demeaning.

"Derek! Casey!" Nora exclaimed, finally realizing what was going on. Casey hurriedly looked over her shoulder at her mother, but was distracted when her book smacked Edwin in the stomach, causing him to lean forward and groan.

Marti awoke suddenly and seeing Casey practically on top of Derek, she reeled back with her eyebrows raised.

"Wow! Is Casey and Derek getting it on?"

"Marti!" Nora gasped. "Where'd you hear that kind of language?"

"From Derek!" Marti laughed. Hearing what Casey said, she immediately ceased her grip on Derek and plopped herself down into her seat. Edwin, however, started making gagging noises.

"Aw, c'mon Ed, I didn't hit you that hard. Stop overreacting," Derek sighed. Edwin, however, started breathing heavily.

"What's wrong with Edwin?" Lizzie asked, fear lacing through her voice. George glanced in the mirror with his eyebrows raised.

"Ed?"

Edwin didn't answer. Instead he started slamming his palm against the window, his breathing turning even more erratic.

"Dad, Dad!" Edwin gasped, "These windows don't open back here!"

"Why would you want them open?" Edwin paused as his cheeks puffed out slightly.

"I think I'm going to be sick." With this statement, all occupants in the car spoke out at once.

"Ew, Edwin, don't aim your mouth over here!"

"He's gonna blow chunks!"

"Better him than me."

"Way to be a 'man', Ed."

"Georgie, pull into that gas station!"

"Look! Look! This guy just cut me off!"

The mini van swerved onto the ramp as Edwin desperately panted for air. The car flew well over the speed limit. Marti and Derek we leaning as far from Edwin as possible as his face flushed different shades of green. The van screeched to a halt in front of the gas station's rest room, and Edwin nearly trampled over his siblings to get to the door of the van and into the restroom.

Lizzie hesitantly unbuckled her seat belt and passed Casey, mumbling a quick explanation as she watched the door to the washroom swing open. It revealed Edwin, crouched down on his knees with his head in the confines of the toilet.

"I'll go help Ed."

George sighed, rubbing his temple contemplatively.

"Barely two hours into the drive and we've already hit our first bump," he muttered. Nora reached over and rubber her husbands back, a small smile on her face.

George peered over at Nora and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I saw a drugstore along the highway. I'll go pick up some medication for Edwin," George said, peering back at Derek, Marti and Casey. "You three want to come?"

"No way," Derek, Casey and Marti all muttered, stepping out of the van and into the summer breeze that blew through the lone gas station.

"You know what to get?" Nora asked. George peered at her as if she had grown three heads. Nora sighed, motioning for him to get out.

"Here, let me get the medication, you stay back and watch the kids."

"But you don't know where the drugstore is," George countered back.

Casey and Derek watched their banter for a moment, before Casey stepped forward and leaned against Nora's open window.

"It's okay Mom, I can look after things here. You and George grab the medication and be back soon," Casey said, smiling pleasantly at them. Nora smiled back at her daughter, then reached into her wallet and grabbed a twenty.

"You buy yourselves some refreshments and snacks if we're gone long. You know how George is… this may take awhile." Nora rolled her eyes and Casey laughed as George gave hurtful 'hey!'

Casey stepped back as she watched her parents drive off, tucking the twenty safely in her back pocket. She spun on her heel and walked up to where Derek and Marti were standing, leaning against the gas station's Ice box.

"Any news on Edwin's current condition?" Casey asked, standing up next to Derek. He let out a deep breath.

"Oh, you know, he's just emptying the contents of his stomach all over the wall. It happens all the time. You know, a usual occurrence for him," Derek said. Marti giggled as Casey crossed her arms.

"When did you become sarcastic?"

"Oh please, we're not starting up this conversation again, are we?" he asked, matching her expression. Casey rolled her eyes and stepped away from him, taking in where they were. The gas station was the only thing standing for awhile. Farmland surrounded the gas station, and off to the left side of the station was a small forest.

"Where do you think we are?" Casey asked, looking around cautiously. Derek let out a small breath escape his lips.

"Half way between London and Toronto, probably."

"Kitchener?" Casey asked quickly. Derek blinked up at her, his face twisted in confusion.

"What?"

"You're such an idiot, you know that?" Casey sighed. Marti tugged at the hem of Casey's shirt, bringing her attention away from Derek's lack of geography skills.

"Yes, Marti?" Casey asked.

"Can we eat something?"

"But…" Casey paused, frowning at Marti. "We just had breakfast two hours ago."

"Ugh," Marti threw her hands up in the air. "Why do people always have to question me? I'm a Venturi! I'm _always _hungry!"

Casey laughed sharply and couldn't help but ruffle Marti's hair.

"That I can't deny," she said. Marti smiled as Casey glanced at Derek. "Want anything?"

Derek made a weird noise in the back of his throat and gave Casey a look as if she were mentally disabled.

"Of course I do." He opened the bathroom door and leaned in. "Hey, Liz, you want anything?"

There was a muffle 'no' as a reply before Derek leaned out, quickly waving his hand in front of his nose in disgust at the smell. How could Lizzie stand it?

"Alright let's go," Derek said, placing his hand on the small of Casey's back to guide her toward the gas station's main building. Once more, a shiver ran up Casey's spine, so she quickly sidestepped away from Derek's touch.

They entered the gas station and quickly parted ways to get what they wanted. Casey was first to return to the counter with a simple bottle of water in her hands. She smiled pleasantly at the guy behind the cash.

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh yes, very nice," the man replied. Casey gave him an odd look. She could tell he was a foreigner, but what she couldn't tell was if he understood English. He had to, in order to land a job dealing with people, right?

Derek walked out from one of the aisles with two chocolate bars, a bottle of pop and a bag of liquorice.

"Derek! You can't eat all of that!"

Derek dumped the contents on the counter before turning to face Casey.

"Um… yeah, I can, Case." Casey was about to object to him when Marti came running out of one of the aisles with an ice-cream cone in her hand and a huge smile on her face.

Derek leaned down and picked Marti up, gently taking the ice-cream from her and putting it on the counter.

"Oh, yes, very nice child. She's yours?" the man asked as he began ringing up items. Casey and Derek both paled.

"No, no, no, she's not my sister –."

"She's my sibling –."

"He's not even my brother –."

"Like I would even consider Casey as potential girlfriend material," Derek concluded. It was then they both realized the man was hardly paying attention.

"Yes, yes, very nice," he replied, smiling dimly at them. "I give you the ice cream for free for little girl."

"Um… why?" Casey asked as the man read the total and she handed him the twenty-dollar bill.

"Oh, teenage parents never have easy life, you know? It's not very nice," he concluded, handing Casey her change back. She started laughing, ignoring the heat that flushed to her cheeks.

"But we're really not –," Derek stopped her by clamping a hand around her mouth and smiling at the man.

"No, no, thank you for your concern. You're a very nice person," Derek said, his voice and face a mask of genuine appreciation that even Casey admired his lying abilities.

As Casey unwrapped Marti's ice-cream and ushered her out the door, the man behind the countered cheered, "I'm a very nice man!"

"Ye-ah!" Derek cheered, pumping his fist in the air as he exited the door. He turned, though, and hurriedly pushed Casey and Marti back towards the washroom, muttering, "Freak," under his breath.

As Casey and Derek neared the restroom, they saw Edwin – who was looking much better now – and Lizzie, crouched down next to the Ice box with their legs pulled tightly to their chests. Marti ran over to join them, probably wanting to hear every juicy detail of Edwin's experience.

Casey twisted her bottle cap off and took a sip of water, sitting herself down on the curb of the sidewalk that wrapped around the gas station's building. She expected Derek would walk over and join Edwin, Lizzie and Marti, but instead he sat down next to her, ripping open the pack of liquorice and chewing on one.

Casey peered at Lizzie and Edwin. They looked cozy, nestled together. Edwin had his eyes shut, and Casey didn't miss the fact that he was leaning slightly on Lizzie.

"So what are your exact thoughts about this trip?" Derek asked, causing Casey's head to snap back to him. In case she wanted to question his kindness to her, he took a huge bite of liquorice and offered the bag to her. She took one and waved it in the air.

"And don't give me any of that girly crap you're so fond on making up," Derek added. Casey smirked, leaning back as she took a small bite out of her liquorice.

"Truthfully?" she asked, pausing. "Truthfully I think this is a waste of summer vacation. I think more trouble will come out of this then good. I think Mom and George are insane for cramping us – me and you – into a car for three days. And when we get to P.E.I.? Then what? What'll we do when we're there?" she asked.

Derek nodded his head, taking another bite.

"Well, hopefully when we get to P.E.I. we won't see much of each other," he added.

"Hopefully," Casey repeated.

"But until then," Derek said, smirking deviously, "We're stuck with each other." He reached out and yanked her ponytail. Casey narrowed her eyes at him and shoved at his chest, causing him to fall back against the pavement.

"Can't you two behave for a _second_?" Marti squealed. Casey turned around to say, 'No' at Marti's words, when Derek in turn pushed Casey. She jolted forward and half the contents in her water bottle spilled on her shirt.

Casey let out one long breath as Derek started laughing hysterically. She turned slowly, her eyes landing on his hair, and a plan immediately formulated in her mind.

"Hey Derek, I think you need a shower," she said politely. When he glanced up at her, she reached over his head and dumped the rest of the water on his hair, before she started laughing. She was so concentrated on her brilliant plan, that she didn't see Derek reach for his bottle of coke, or hear Lizzie, Marti and Edwin's sharp intake of breath.

It wasn't until she felt the substance slide down her scalp, her neck and her back that she stopped laughing. She glanced over at Derek and saw he still had about 1/3 of pop left in the bottle.

She reached out and grabbed the bottle, but Derek was quick and fastened his grip on it, struggling to pull her grip off the bottle.

"Let go!" Derek huffed. Casey jumped to her feet, pulling Derek with all her might. When Derek's body shifted forward from her huge heave of effort, his legs accidentally kicked out at hers and she lost her footing, falling over his body and landing on the ground next to him. Her arm scraped against the pavement, and she could feel the burning sensation of blood oozing out of her wounds. She groaned, shifting so her legs weren't touching Derek.

The only good that came out of the fall was that the rest of the pop had spilt on Derek's shirt.

They both got to their feet silently, and before Derek could bring up another argument, Casey hurriedly lifted her elbow up and looked over her wound. A huge piece of skin had pulled back, and a small trickle of blood had formed on her wrist.

She let out a deep breath, looking away as Derek analyzed the damage on her arm.

"You okay?" he asked. Casey tried meeting Derek's gaze, but he wouldn't look in her eyes, so she ended up nodding and saying, "Yeah". She wouldn't question Derek's on-again, off-again kindness.

A comfortable silence passed over the teens as they once more settled down on the curb.

"You look ridiculous," Casey said, laughing lightly. The pop had caused Derek's hair to stick out at weird angles, and his shirt was stained hopelessly until they came across a laundry mat.

"So do you," Derek replied, smirking at Casey. Her own makeup was ruined and smudged, her clothes were stained, too, and she had a bloody wound on her arm.

Derek paused, before pulling off his arm brace and handing it to her wordlessly.

"What's this for?" Casey asked, plucking it from his fingertips.

"Put it on top of your wound," he said quickly. Casey smiled at him, slipping it on her wrist and pulling it over her wound. "Thank –."

"No, no no no. Don't mention it, really," Derek said in a low voice. Casey laughed and looked away. She could see the mini van rolling down the street idly, and she spotted Nora waving at them with a huge smile plastered on her face.

As the car pulled up, the smile disappeared immediately, and a stern look came upon the faces of both Nora and George.

"What the hell happened here?!" George exclaimed.

Derek and Casey guiltily glanced at each other as Edwin and Lizzie sucked in deep breaths, feeling pain for their older siblings for the lecture that they were sure to endure.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Wow, an update in less then 12 hours!! I'm so proud of myself. However, I was a little disappointed at the amount of reviews I got, compared to how many times it was favorited and added to alert lists. **

–**Sniffle- **

**So, if you haven't reviewed yet, review please and thanks! Reviews of all shapes and sizes are welcome in my home and heart.**

**Anyways… about the story. This chapter's just a filler, mainly to help me get the feel of the story (Yes, I'm weird like that.) I hope you enjoyed, though!**

**Stay tuned, and don't forget to review!!**


	3. Brampton

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 3: Brampton**_

_Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who could have predicted how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey._

_**A/N**__: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I know every author says this, but reviews really make my day. Really._

_Oh, and happy (belated-ish) Easter!_

_And on a final note: I can't believe how fast I'm updating this story. Honestly? It usually takes me well over a week to get one chapter out. I'm spoiling ya'll._

* * *

Casey examined her mother, half in pity and half in worry. Currently she and Nora were sitting alone in the mini van in an 'interrogating' meeting. Derek and George were having their own outside, from what Casey could see. She assumed both parents would get the individual stories from both teenagers, compare them and pull the truth out from their stories.

Casey settled her hand against her head and stared out the window, her pinky finger gently massaging her temple.

"Alright, Casey, I want to know what happened. Why did George and I come back, expecting to find five well-behaving kids, and instead found you two covered in water and pop while Ed, Marti and Liz cowed behind the Ice box?"

"They weren't cowering!"

"Casey," Nora said slowly. Casey let out a deep breath and leaned her forehead against the glass of the window, dropping her hand to the armrest. She tapped her fingers in annoyance before meeting her mother's gaze carefully.

"I don't see why you're treating us like little kids. You know Derek and I don't get along. Things were actually going nicely between us, until…"

"Until?"

"Until we fought."

"Why do you always have to fight with your brother?"

"_Step_brother! And Mom, I do _not _always fight with him! It's just how we act around each other." Nora spun in her seat so she could face her daughter head on, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Case, this vacation is supposed to be relaxing. I don't want to have to deal with you and Derek at every pit stop. Do you know how much time you just made us lose? We've got to get back on the road. Initially we weren't planning on stopping at motels, but now we have to so you and Derek can clean up."

"Mom –,"

"Casey, I don't want to hear anything from you or Derek until we're in Quebec. No fights, no arguments, and defiantly no more physical fights. I can't handle much more of this, Case. You need to stop it."

"Quebec?" Casey gasped, slouching in her seat. "That's like, 8 hours away! You really think I can handle Derek bugging me without snapping?"

"I expect you to handle it like a young adult, Casey," Nora replied calmly. Casey rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, slamming her fist down on the armrest that attached to the door. Her fist pressed one of the buttons down, and, magically, the window began rolling down.

Nora glanced at the window, sucking in a deep breath.

"That's another thing. You and Edwin are switching seats in case he needs to vomit again, he'll have access to an open window."

"Mom that is _so _–,"

"Casey!" Nora exclaimed, meeting her daughter's eyes. "Do you hear yourself? You may not like Derek, but you're becoming more and more like him every day. You know it's only fair you switch spots with Edwin, for his health, and Derek? Just grin and bare it. This discussion is over. Remember: no arguments until Quebec." Casey shot a poisonous glare at her mother before ripping open the door and stumbling out onto the pavement of the gas station.

She peered over at Derek, and could see he had the same insulted, angry look she had on. George must've told him about the 'until Quebec' rule. Suddenly, Lizzie was at her side, tugging on her arm.

"What's the verdict?" she asked.

"I can't fight or argue with Derek until we get to Quebec," Casey replied, not meeting Lizzie's gaze.

"That's not so bad, is it?"

"Yeah, it is. Because knowing him he'll probably bug the crap out of me! And what am I supposed to do in return? Sit there like an idiot and take it?" Casey let out a deep sigh, before finally turning to meet her sister's eyes. "How's Edwin?"

"He's fine. Doing much better now that he barfed up the contents of his stomach."

"Lovely," Casey said stiffly, turning away from her sister. She watched as George waltzed away from Derek and ushered Marti and Derek into the backspace. He then turned to Casey and motioned for her to climb in on the other side of Marti.

Casey gripped onto the edge of the car and hoisted herself into the space of the mini van, shifting nervously past Derek. She brushed her legs against his as she shuffled by, and for some reason, she felt the need to acknowledge this moment in her mind.

Plopping down in her seat, she immediately leaned as far away from Derek as she could; thanking the heavens that innocent Marti was situated between them. She glared out of the window as the rest of their 'family' piled in, before the mini van shuddered as it lurched forward, heading toward the high way once more.

Casey tried her best to ignore Derek, while simultaneously keeping up the act of being mad at her mother. By then, she wasn't even sure why she was mad at Nora. Her mom wasn't asking much from her, but the little bit she was asking seemed impossible. Derek and she fought. It's what they do. It was like asking a lion to marry gazelle. It just did not work.

"Hey Smarti, you want to look out the window?" she heard Derek asked as she tuned into the conversation the two people to her right were having. She froze as Marti nodded eagerly and they quickly switched places so Derek was next to her. Great, he was coming over to annoy her.

She prepared herself for his taunts, insults and whatever else he could bring, but was surprised when nothing came.

"You look pretty pissed," Derek stated nonchalantly. He didn't even meet her gaze, just stared straight ahead.

"I'm not… really. I mean," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Only because my Mom is blowing things way out of proportion. So what, we had a fight, it happens all the time. This vacation is stressing her out way more then I would've… Derek, Derek, are you listening to me?" Casey turned to see what had claimed Derek's attention out the window, and rolled her eyes when she saw he was staring at a red-head.

Casey settled back against her seat and crossed her arms.

"I don't even know why I bother talking to you," she whispered harshly, "You never listen."

"Well maybe if you spoke about something I find interesting," he spat back, his voice still a whisper. Casey was about to snap something at him, but closed her mouth, sucked in a deep breath, and turned her gaze on his.

"Want to play a game?"

"A… what?" Derek asked his voice cracking. Casey smirked at him and gestured wildly to outside the window.

"It's a car game. We pick a licence plate and make up a sentence, with each word beginning with the letters on the licence plate."

"Sounds boring… but right about now, I'll even agree to dress-up for Marti again," Derek murmured as he peered out the window.

"Okay, there's one: TGKU," Casey said slowly. She ignored the fact it was an odd licence plate and let her eyes flicker to catch Derek's as he, in turn, rolled his eyes back in thought.

"How about, This Game's Kinda Unfun?" Derek asked. Casey snorted and pushed at Derek's chest in a playful manner.

"You really suck at this game, and 'unfun' isn't a word. It's more like, Trip's Gonna Kill Us."

"I can agree with you there," Derek said, smirking. The game continued like that for a while, until Casey agreed to play one of Derek's car games, which involved a game of poker and bets of chores, ranging from dishes and laundry to homework and cleaning each other's rooms. Casey lost – severely—and mentally set up a notice to do whatever it takes to get Derek to forget about this little poker game.

At that time, George and Nora decided to stop at a small motel in Brampton, as both Casey and Derek were still coated in pop. By then the water had, for the most part, evaporated.

The motel the Venturis and McDonalds decided to stay at wasn't one from a horror film, much to Derek and Edwin's disappointment. It was small, the exterior a little rundown, but other than that it looked like a pleasant place to stay for the night. George and Nora rented two rooms, one for the parents and Marti, and one for Lizzie, Edwin, Derek and Casey right next door.

As Casey followed behind Derek, who was wielding the key in front of him, she glanced at her watch. It was only six o' clock at night, yet the sky was already orange and pink. Casey leaned on the railing of the wrap-around, second-story porch and watched as Derek fiddled with the doorknob, before successfully opening up their room.

George and Nora paused, with Marti in their hands, to look at Casey and Derek pointedly.

"No fooling around, okay?" For some reason, Casey felt like there was double meaning behind the words. They couldn't possibly mean… nah, it was much too far fetched. Besides, Casey and Derek? They would never do something like that, and Nora and George both knew it.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll make sure nothing gets noticeably broken," Casey said, making a move to go inside her room. Nora gave her a stern look and Casey rolled her eyes.

"Kidding, Mom. Nothing to worry about, alright?" Nora breathed out deeply, before nodding her head and disappearing into her own room. Casey exhaled as she shut the door behind her back, letting her eyes wander around the room she was stuck in.

When you entered the front door, the first thing you saw was the washroom. Off to the left was a small sitting area, and beside that were the two beds. In front of the beds was an armour that, no doubt, held the T.V.

Casey raced toward the bathroom and called her claim over having the 'first shower'. She locked the door, picked up the bottles of cheap motel hygienic products and scrubbed all the pop out of her hair.

When she finished, she quickly stepped out of the shower, dressed hurriedly and hung the towel up on a hook. When she twisted the doorknob of the bathroom open, she expected to see Edwin, Lizzie and Derek glued to the T.V. screen, or shouting and screaming in excitement.

Casey stepped farther out into the room, her eyes taking in everything. Lizzie and Edwin were no where to be seen.

"Um, Derek, where are the children?" he glanced up from the T.V. screen long enough to shrug.

"Dad and Nora took them out to eat something, and I couldn't go out looking like this," he gestured to his wild hair as he smirked, "in case any hot chicks were around."

Casey took in the bed Derek was sitting on and stood in the path of the T.V., arms folded in front of her chest.

"What makes you think you get the bed closest to the window?" she hissed. Derek put on a mock-shocked expression.

"I don't know. I just figured the better bed goes to the better person, right?"

"Right, so get off and give it to me." Derek laughed and pointed a finger at her.

"That's good, Case, now move." Casey held her hands up defensively and sidestepped to the other bed, picking a pillow up in her hands. She spun quickly around and socked Derek in the gut.

"You move, before I smother you with this," Casey said. Her tone was serious, yet a smirk tugged at the corners of her lip. Derek was frozen in his spot, his eyes wide as he took in what Casey did. Finally, he jumped to his feet while standing on the bed, grabbed a pillow and pointed threateningly at Casey.

"You're going to regret that, McDonald."

"In your dreams," Casey said back in an equally threatening tone. She hopped up on top of the bed, only to be met with a whack in the side of the head. She swung around quickly and beat her pillow against Derek's side. He doubled over, and she hurriedly hit him over and over again.

"Wait, Casey, wait," Derek breathed, holding up a hand, as if in surrender.

"See? You can't beat me at having a pillow fi—,"

"Argha!" Derek hollered, jumping up and smacking Casey on the top of the head. She went to take a swing at Derek, but he quickly jumped over the space between the two beds and landed on the other one, staring at her with a 'what-you-going-to-do-now?' face.

Casey laughed and chucked her pillow at Derek. He easily dodged it, so Casey gathered herself, giving a few good bounces, before she leapt over the space, intent on landing gracefully beside Derek.

However, it would not go down like that.

As soon as she went to jump, one foot slipped and she went flailing through the air crookedly, ready to land face first into Derek's body. She closed her eyes and impacted with something hard, before she felt the softness of the bed under her.

Opening her eyes quickly, she realized her face was being smothered in Derek's armpit, which, surprisingly, didn't smell that bad.

She rolled over quickly though, still laughing as she lay next to Derek, breathing heavily with pillows strewn about them.

For a long moment they sat there, basking in comfortable silence. Neither wanted to admit how much fun they had just had in that short amount of time, but neither wanting to leave it behind them.

Finally, Derek sat up and looked down at Casey with an intent expression on his face.

"I better go have my shower," he said slowly, standing and walking over to the washroom. Casey nodded and settled herself against the pillows, her eyes focussing on the T.V. without really taking anything in.

* * *

"… And when the police got back to the motel room, all they found were the arms and legs of the newly weds. The crazed chainsaw man was never caught, and still lurks the land around motels just. Like. This one," Derek concluded.

Casey threw her arms around Lizzie and wondered dimly how they had gotten in this situation. The rest of the day had flown by. Lizzie and Edwin returned with some take-out food while Derek was in the shower, and after eating until they were stuffed, watching T.V. and even playing a round of hide-and-seek in the dark, when the sun had set, they had somehow wound up telling scary stories to one another.

Casey's grip tightened on Lizzie so hard she could hear her sister labour for breath. She didn't care, though. Derek's story may have been made up, but it did leave room for fear to grow. The fact that the only light was coming from Derek's cell phone, which he used as a flashlight to light his face, made it that much worse.

"Okay, n-no more scary stories. Bed time!" Casey hollered quickly. Lizzie and Casey dove under the covers, pressing against each other, as Derek calmly set his cell phone aside before pulling the covers over his body. Edwin lazily lay next to his brother, half asleep already.

Silence filled the room, yet Casey could not sleep. Her eyes darted wildly around the room, taking in every contour and shape. She could tell Lizzie was doing the same thing, by the way her sister gripped onto Casey's wrist.

"What was that?" Casey whispered in Lizzie's ear, after supposedly seeing a shadow flash across the window.

Silence filled the room, but what Casey didn't see was Derek's gigantic smirk.

"It's the killer," he said in a soft voice, so much creepier then his own. Casey slowly inhaled a breath, pinching her eyes shut for a moment. She wasn't about to let Derek's stupid story get the best of her. She was just going to –

"There's a face!" Lizzie screamed at the top of her lungs, pointing hurriedly to the window inches from their bed. Casey began screaming, too, and both girls stumbled clumsily threw the dark before launching themselves at the other bed.

There were several groans of pain as the girls frantically flailed their limbs around, trying to get 'safety' from the boys, even though, subconsciously, Casey knew there was nothing to fear.

"What the hell?" Edwin groaned. His voice was strained, as Lizzie had attached herself around Edwin's neck, still yelling out. Casey scrambled over Edwin and Lizzie's bodies and tucked herself in between Edwin and Derek, panting heavily. She reached out and grabbed Derek's collar, shaking it as she heaved in another breath to scream.

"Why did you have to freak me out like that?!" She screamed. Derek unlatched her fingers, but Casey just shoved at his hand, before latching herself back onto his arm.

"I'm. _Not. _Going back over there," Casey said in a low voice. Lizzie hurriedly agreed as she climbed under the covers, squeezing in between Casey and Edwin. This, however, caused there to be a great lack of space all around, and both Casey and Derek had to roll on their sides and face each other in order to not fall off the bed.

"Neither am I."

"Well, you can't stay here," Derek sniffed defiantly.

"Why the hell not?" Lizzie screeched.

"_Lizzie, you're choking me_."

"Because, we can't sleep with out stepsisters," Derek replied. He tried crossing his arms, but Casey was in the way so he ended up just huffing angrily.

"That sounded wrong on so many levels," Casey murmured, laying her head down on something soft.

"Fine, whatever. But if I had known this would be the outcome of my story, I never would've told it. Sheesh, you guys can't hold your fear well," Derek snapped. Casey was surprised at how easily sleep was falling upon her. It came so quickly, she knew she had mumbled a reply, but couldn't remember what exactly she had said.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

_**Kind of rushed! Sorry, I finished this at 4 in the morning, so forgive me! I hope you enjoyed. Remember to review! This A/N is short because I'm incredibly tired.**_

_**Will edit this chapter when I have time!!**_

_**REVIEW!**_


	4. Toronto I

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 4: Toronto I**_

_Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who could have predicted how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey._

_**A/N**__: Wooh! I'm back with another update! In this chapter they're in Ontario's capital, and my hometown, where I am currently living._

_Tomorrow (or today, as it's 2 in the morning) I've got no school, so there may be another update tomorrow/today. However, the day after, Friday, I'll be busy with a school trip, and this weekend I'll be in London, Ontario (Heheh, me and the LwD characters are switching places.). SO, why I've told you this long story? There probably won't be another update until Monday or Tuesday._

_Sorry for the long rant. Let the story commence!_

_**Warning**__: Total cliché moment coming up in the first bit._

* * *

"_Sh! You're going to wake them! I said shh Edwin!"_

"_He he he, they're never going to believe this."_

"_And that's why we're taking a photo with George's digital camera."_

Casey tried lifting her head, but grogginess was still very much evident, and made her head feel like it was weighed down with lead.

"Hurry! She's waking up!" Casey's head slumped down back into its original position, but now that she was waking up, she became aware of more things.

Like how her comfortable pillow was… meaty? And… fleshy?

Her eyes peeled open slowly, just as a blinding flash lit her vision. She moaned at the pain it caused on her eyes, and immediately shut her eyelids closed again.

Suddenly, she became aware of two more things that made her blood run cold. One: The people who had been talking, Lizzie and Edwin, were now giggling about a couple, or something. Casey couldn't really concentrate on their conversation, when she was concentrating on a much scarier factor.

The fact that someone's breathing was gusting across her face.

If Edwin and Lizzie were up… _Oh God no._

The pieces began to assemble, and Casey felt her stomach twist in horrible realization. No, no, she couldn't be… with _Derek? _And Lizzie and Edwin caught it in a photograph!

Casey took one more moment to appreciate her comfortable position, before she ripped her eyes open, pushed as hard as she could at Derek and rolled over as far as she could, getting her legs tangled with the sheets in the process.

Casey's body rolled off the edge of the bed, ripping the sheets out of the bed and causing her to land painfully on her butt. She let out a small yelp, before she peered at Lizzie and Edwin, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"Delete. The. Picture. Now," she demanded. Lizzie and Edwin both shared a look before they laughed and waved the camera victoriously.

"No way! This is pure _gold_, I tell you!" Edwin laughed. Casey lunged forward at surprising speed, reaching out to grab onto the camera. Edwin, though, darted out of the way by hopping on the unused bed and swinging it over his head with a mocking smile.

"Give it!" Casey yelled, jumping up on the bed and grabbing Edwin's collar.

"Don't hurt me! Lizzie!" he called, tossing the camera to Lizzie's awaiting hands. She grabbed it and ran off to the washroom, locking herself in there until Casey had enough time to calm down.

But Casey was absolutely furious, with just a hint of curiosity. She wasn't even sure how she and Derek had been touching, she just knew they were, and she wanted to see how it looked.

"What's going on?" Derek's muffled reply came as he sat up. Casey peered over at him, narrowing her eyes. She so desperately wanted to put the blame on him, but seeing his frazzled and dishevelled hair, with his tired, clueless eyes, Casey unrightfully deemed him innocent, at least for the moment.

"Edwin and Lizzie took a picture of us…" Casey's voice trailed off, realizing that telling Derek how they had been sleeping… well, it would most likely leave room for one of his snide remarks, like, 'No girl can resist Derek Venturi,' or something like that.

"And?" Derek asked, shooting her a confused look.

"And we were in a very compromising position."

"Compromising, meaning…" his voice trailed off as he waited for her to elaborate.

"You two looked like you just slept together!" Edwin hollered, sighing heavily.

"What?" Casey and Derek both screeched. They shot uncomfortable gazes at each other for a moment, before Derek slipped out of the bed and approached Edwin carefully.

"You're going to delete that picture, right?" He grabbed Edwin's shirt in a threatening manner, but Casey's maternal – or sisterly—instincts stepped in and she pushed Derek's hand away from Edwin.

"Don't hurt him. It's just a stupid picture, and they can't keep the camera forever," Casey shot Edwin a dirty look, but Derek released his grip on Edwin and turned on Casey.

"And you let this happen!" he seethed.

"Um, no I didn't you freak. I was still asleep when the flash went off, so don't even try putting the blame on me." Derek let out a deep breath, when all three of them heard the bathroom door unlock and slowly open.

"Are they done being mad?" Lizzie asked.

Casey laughed mockingly as her sister stepped out of the bathroom, while Derek just smirked dangerously.

"Give me the camera, Lizzie, and you won't get hurt," Derek said, smiling as his eyes held a murderous gleam.

"Don't threaten my sister!" Casey snapped, turning and shoving Derek in the chest.

"Yeah!" Lizzie beamed, stepping up next to her older sibling.

"And don't try and get on my good side!" Casey retorted, turning on Lizzie.

"Yeah!" Derek huffed, putting his hands on his hips.

"Now, Lizzie, give me the camera." Casey's voice was dangerously low, but Lizzie just darted away from Casey and made a mad dash for the front door, successfully unlocking it. Derek, however, reached out and grabbed Lizzie's wrist before she could open it.

Even Casey, from where she stood, could see the gentleness in his grasp, yet she knew she couldn't let him get away being pushy and controlling with her sister.

She shoved at him as he tried to grab the camera, but as far as Casey knew, her actions went unnoticed.

Edwin leapt forward and tried getting Derek's grip off of Lizzie, but Derek in turn grabbed at Edwin's sleeve and held him at arms length, causing Edwin to start twisting and hollering for him to 'let go'.

Casey huffed when she still went annoyed as she observed the yelling and squealing of her two stepbrothers and her sister, before finally deciding on an action that would get attention back to her.

She backed herself up, then leapt out and grabbed Derek's shoulders, straddling him from behind piggy-back style.

He gasped out as Casey reached over his shoulder, for the camera, and in a matter of seconds all four teenagers were squabbling and yelling, shifting around the room in a mass of tangled limbs. They were totally oblivious to the front door opening until George's voice rang through the room.

"What's going on?" Immediately Derek released both Lizzie and Edwin as Casey froze on his back. When George's eyes settled on her, she slowly slid off and stepped away from Derek.

George restlessly ran a hand through his hair, taking in a deep breath.

"Do we really need to go over this again, Derek and Casey? No more fights! I thought I could trust all of you in a hotel room, but you go and get Lizzie and Edwin involved in your fight!"

"No, it was _them_ –," Derek started, but George held up a hand and Derek bit down on his lip to stop his sentence.

"I don't want to hear it. Get dressed. We're leaving." George turned on his heel, took a step, than spun back around, holding one finger out threateningly. "And if we ever check into a motel or hotel on our trip again and _this_," he gestured wildly to the messy room, "is the outcome? We're turning around and heading to Windsor. To visit Grandma Patricia."

"Not Grandma Patricia!" Derek and Edwin gasped, pure fear clear in their expressions. Casey and Lizzie shared a look, but ended up shrugging as George stormed away, slamming the door shut as he did so.

Lizzie sighed heavily as she shoved the camera into Casey's palm, before turning to collect some articles of clothing to get changed.

As Edwin and Derek dispersed around the room, Casey peered down at the picture, and unintentionally a smirk appeared on her lips that she had to fight to wipe off.

Derek's right arm was stretched out just beneath the line of pillows, and that had been the fleshy, meaty thing Casey's head had been resting on. Her face was tucked into his shoulder, while his other arm lay lazily on her waist, bent at the elbow so it followed along the line of her side and his hand lay gently on her bicep. His face was tucked against hers and his expression was one of blissful slumber. Though their chests were a good four inches away from each other, as Casey's eyes travelled down their lined-up bodies, she saw that their legs were tangled and entwined with one another.

A shiver ran up her spine as her eyes finally set on her position. The arm she was laying on was tucked under her body, but her other arm was gripped onto Derek's left bicep.

She hurriedly turned off the camera, well aware of the fact that she didn't delete the picture. After all, it was a memory, wasn't it? Some day she'd look back on the photo and laugh.

Hopefully.

* * *

Nora and George were ignoring Casey and Derek, that much she could tell. She knew this since she and Derek first stepped into the minivan (Casey still in Edwin's old spot) and asked how they had slept. All they got in a reply was a happy laugh from Marti and ten-minute long rant about all she had done during the night, including sneaking out of bed to make a mess of shampoo in the washroom.

Casey sighed and leaned her head against the glass of the window. It was a cloudy and grey day, and Casey decided then that it had been a horrible choice to wear a jean skirt with a red tee shirt. It was freezing out!

"So, we're planning on stopping in Toronto for some shopping." Silence filled the minivan after Nora said this, before Lizzie chirped up.

"Why?" she asked, her voice full of ridicule.

"Well, what's the point of going to your province's capital without buying souvenirs?"

"This is great, Mom! I can by a whole new wardrobe! Isn't that great, don't you think? Mom?" Casey asked hopefully. She was Nora's eyes flash to meet her daughters, but she hurriedly looked away and gave a limp shrug.

Casey rolled her eyes and settled against the cushions, closing her eyes.

"Can someone turn the heater up? I'm freezing!" Derek complained. Casey opened one eye to take in his outfit. He wore a green, white and black striped shirt with jeans. How could he be cold? He wasn't the one wearing a stupid skirt.

No one gave a verbal answer, but George did start blasting the heater.

The rest of the car ride droned on in silence. Every few moments Casey or Derek would try to strike up a conversation with their parents, only to get the cold shoulder. They resorted to ignoring each other, in turn, and ended up staring out the windows dumbly until they arrived in Toronto's downtown district.

George pulled into a parking lot, killed the engine and turn to face his children.

"We'll travel as a group, but on foot, because driving downtown in Toronto? No, it's quicker by foot. We'll go to as many stores as we can, but don't spend all your cash. We're also planning on stopping in Quebec City and Montreal, and you'll want to buy souvenirs there too. So… yeah, let's go," George finished.

The Venturis and McDonalds stumbled out into the grey light of an overcast, downtown Toronto day, stretched, then headed off down the sidewalk, with Nora and George walking in front, Marti followed religiously behind, then Edwin and Lizzie, and lastly Derek and Casey.

"This is ridiculous," Casey spat finally as she followed after Lizzie.

"What is?"

"Mom and George! Them ignoring us! They're acting like children!" Casey complained. Derek didn't reply, and they walked in comfortable silence as they twisted down streets, stopping in a store occasionally.

"And I mean, so what, we got into a fight," Casey continued, frowning, "It's what we do."

"Yeah," Derek murmured, taking in a deep breath of air. Casey threw her hands up in the air for emphasis.

"If they have such a problem with us fighting, maybe they should, oh, I don't know, _not force us into a confined space for days on end?_"

"Wow Case, watch that mouth of yours," Derek whispered in her ear. She paused to stare at him.

"Watch my mouth?! Aren't you at all upset over this?" she asked, looking desperately up at her stepbrother. He shrugged and she rolled her eyes, continuing down the street. They were lagging behind, but she could still see Lizzie and Edwin up ahead.

"Free hugs?" a young man asked, popping into Casey's peripheral view. She gasped and jumped back at his sudden nearness.

"What did you say?" she asked dumbly. The man, who couldn't be older then a college student, smirked and held his arms out wide.

"Free hugs."

"Why would she want to hug _you_?" Derek spat, eyeing the guy up and down. "you're probably some homeless pervert who –,"

"Derek!" Casey chastised, smacking his arm before turning back to the college student.

"I'd love a free hug. They say being hugged makes your day that much better, and trust me, I need it," Casey said with a laugh. The guy nodded his head and pulled Casey against his chest.

"Alright Case, let go of the hobo," Derek snapped, tugging at her fingers gently.

"You're boyfriends really uh… _controlling_," the man whispered in Casey's ears. She was nodding her head before she even realized what he had referred to Derek as. Though it wasn't as bad as being deemed parents by an undereducated foreigner, it still made her stomach convulse nervously.

"He's not my… ah, forget it. Thanks for the hug," Casey said, beaming happily at the man. "But, you know, I think Derek would just _love _a hug," Casey said, placing a firm hand on his arm.

Derek's eyes widened and he began shaking his head over and over again as the guy slowly approached him.

"Dude, don't touch me—!" Derek's sentence broke off when the man flung himself at Derek. Casey watched as he stood there for a second, before pushing the man off roughly.

"Get off me, sheesh. I don't let just _anyone _touch me," he snapped, before stalking off into the crowd.

Casey smiled after him, gave the man a 'thanks' before racing after Derek.

"What is your problem? The guy was giving free hugs, because –,"

"I don't hug _dudes, Casey_!" Derek complained, throwing his arms up as his eyes scanned the crowd.

"What is your problem?"

"Uh, Casey, wait a second…"

"No, I'll tell you what it is. Your problem is you don't have the ability to—,"

"Casey!" Derek yelled, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her so she faced him.

"What, Derek?" she snapped, rolling her eyes.

"I'll tell _you _what _our _problem is, okay?" Derek laughed. Casey noticed how his face took on a nervous tone. "We're, um, kind of lost."

"Lost? Just follow Edwin and Lizzie…" her voice trailed off when she realized her siblings were no where to be seen.

Her eyes grew wide and she sucked in a deep breath.

"Shit."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**The beginning was good and detailed, then I lazed off and the ending was crappy. This is probably the most looked-forward to part of this story (to me. Because, currently, this is the only 'adventure' that I have in mind. I'm sure something much better and romantic will happen in Quebec City… my favourite Canadian city of all.)**

**Anyways…**

**Review. Review. Review. Review.**


	5. Toronto II

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 5: Toronto II**_

_Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who could have predicted how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey._

**A/N**: _Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's another update!_

_Anyway…_

_Wow! Almost 45 reviews in 4 chapters? That equals me being a happy writer. Let's take a moment to give ya'll reviewers a round of applause._

_-Claps proudly-_

_Even though that's a record in itself, I'm hoping to push 60 reviews by chapter 13 in order to break my record of my "hit" story on my other account. But, at the rate you guys are reviewing, that shouldn't be a problem._

_**The "Free Hugs": **__Heheh, my friend asked, "What the hell was up with the hug thing?" And I'm sure some of you were wondering the same thing. Well, it happened to me. A group of college students were standing outside in downtown Toronto and were offering free hugs. Of course I accepted, especially if half the guys were cute. It happens people! Downtown Toronto? Not a sane place._

* * *

"We're… lost? We can't be lost!" Casey's eyes grew wider with each word she spoke, and she turned suddenly, grabbing Derek's arm in a painfully tight grip.

"Chills, Case," Derek sighed, wriggling out from her grasp. "We'll just backtrack and find the minivan."

"Backtrack? _Backtrack?_ That's your plan?! Oh great, freaking great." She stuck an accusing finger at him, narrowing her eyes, "You know backtracking only gets people more lost."

"Oh please, they've never been stuck with the Derek Venturi, though. I know exactly where the minivan is," Derek said cockily, giving Casey his infamous smirk. She just frowned at him and went to strike him.

"Yeah right! You watch, we'll end up being halfway to the Yukon before you even consider the possibility we took a wrong turn!" Casey sucked in a deep breath to continue, but Derek clamped a hand around her mouth.

"Can you keep it down? I'm seriously debating whether not to ditch you," he hissed in a whisper.

"And I'm seriously debating whether or not I should bite one of your fingers off," she replied after slapping his hand away. He rolled his eyes and quickened his pace, causing Casey to have to jog to keep up.

"And don't even give your 'ditch Casey' plan another thought, because I'm warning you that I _will _hurt you." She was well aware of the fact she was panting while growing into hysteria, so she stopped and leaned up against a building, burying her face in her hands.

She saw in the corner of her eye that Derek had spun after realizing she was no longer ranting by his side, and walked the small space to her so he could stand beside her.

"You know what? Being stuck with you has to be the worst possible thing that could've been thrown my way. Look at you! You're going to have a mental lapse and I can't deal with that right now!"

"_You _can't deal with it? How do you think _I'm _dealing with it? Just…" Casey paused and rubbed her eyes, "Just go away. Alright? I want to be with you as much as you want to be with me, and in case you're too stupid to understand this, I mean to say: Go to hell." She saw him lean away from her, as if wanting to start walking as far away from her as she could, but he sighed and leaned back, rubbing his temples.

"No, if I ditch who knows what kind of trouble you'll get yourself into." Casey rolled her eyes and gave out a disbelieving grunt.

"I can handle myself just _fine_, thank you very much," she snapped, shrugging off the wall and turning to leave. Derek reached and enclosed his fingers around her wrist.

"Casey, wait. Don't go."

"And why not?" she asked, spinning on her heel to face him.

"Because, I'm just _really _frustrated right now." Casey narrowed her eyes as she analyzed his face, and, seeing sincerity, she sighed and nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah… and I guess fighting wouldn't be the best thing, would it?" she asked in a low voice. Derek looked up at her through his bangs, and she saw the appreciation in his gaze.

Sighing, she gently unfolded Derek's grasp on her wrist.

"So, are we going to backtrack to the minivan or what?"

"You're actually considering my idea?" Derek asked, laughing lightly as they turned and began walking the other way.

"Well, it wasn't that bad of an idea. I probably would've come up with the same conclusion."

"Yeah, after half an hour of over-analyzing every possible choice and their outcomes." Casey glanced up at Derek, surprise clear on her features. He looked down at her and even he could see the question on her tongue, 'How do you know me so well?' but, thankfully, she never said it.

"Do you remember anything we passed?" Derek asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Um… the Free Hugs guy. He was standing outside a jewellery shop, right?" Casey paused, trying to think of any other landmark she could bring up.

"I don't remember anything else. I was too caught up in ranting to you," Casey sighed, rubbing the side of her head as if that would bring back memories.

"But, it's just a straight walk to the parking lot, so all we have to do is keep walking in this direction."

"No, I'm pretty sure we turned down a couple of streets."

"And where were those streets?" Derek asked, irritation clear in his voice. Casey felt something boil up inside her.

"I don't know! I just freaking told you that I can't remember anything except the jewellery shop and the Free Hugs guy!"

"Then how'd you remember we turned down streets?" Derek snapped back. Casey groaned and threw her hands up in the air.

"Is it that impossible for us to not fight?" she pleaded to no one in particular. Several people walking by shot her an odd look, but neither teenager cared.

"Please don't tell me you're going to start up again in that high-pitched nagging voice," Derek moaned. Casey sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself for a comeback when he held his hands off defensively.

"Wow, don't attack me, alright? You stay here and come down," he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and patted it with a weird smile on his face, "And I'll go check to see if Dad parked the minivan in that parking lot." He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze, and it seemed the gesture made her feel that much better.

That was, until Derek opened up his mouth.

"Hey, I'll even look through the garbage can for a paper bag you can breathe into, alright?" he called over his shoulder, laughing as he quickly crossed the street.

Casey groaned and kicked out at a garbage can.

"Stupid Derek! Stupid family vacation! Stupid… stupid _everything_!" she yelled.

"Trouble in paradise?" someone asked to her left. She turned and saw a man leaning against the opening of a small dead-end alleyway, eyeing her wearily.

"No… just…" her voice trailed off when the man approached her, grinning wickedly. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, and for a fleeting moment she thought he was going to rape her.

"At least you've got a paradise. I've got nothin'," he smirked at her, and Casey shrivelled back, seeing his front teeth missing and all the others around the empty space brown and… gooey.

"Oh, that's uh… too bad." When he took several steps toward her, Casey leaned back, frowning at the awful smell that invaded her senses. It was ten times worse then Derek after hockey practise, and in that millisecond of time she learned to appreciate the fact that Derek actually did bathe once in a while.

"Care to spare some change for the homeless?" he asked hopefully, his grey eyes twitching up to meet hers. She really felt the need to recoil and run, but something much larger took place in her gut: Pity.

"Sure, sure," she replied, pulling out her wallet and handing the man a five. He took it, but his tongue flopped out of his mouth and he eyed her fat wallet hungrily.

"I'm sure you can give me some more," he added, than started to laugh a hoarse, throaty laugh.

"Sorry… Sir, but I can't, you see I'm on vacation and I'll need it –," she was interrupted when the man grabbed her hand and shoved her into the alleyway so fast that no one on the street would've seen it happen.

She also noticed that the hand that had been gripping her own, was now tugging on her wallet.

"What the hell?!" Casey cried, pulling back. "Let go you freak!"

He reached out and shoved back on her shoulder, causing Casey to stumble against a dumpster. She watched helplessly as he gripped the wallet and began going through the stuff, eyeing some photos of her and Emily before his greasy hands began sifting through her money.

"Don't touch that! What is your problem?" Casey lunged forward again, reaching for her wallet but the man quickly snapped out a hand and gripped her arm tightly.

"Now you're not going to tell anyone, right? You're not goin' to start hollerin'?" His disgusting, decease-ridden hands dug into Casey's flesh and she winced, pulling away from the man.

"Good, 'cause you're a pretty gal, and I uh," he paused to lick his lips as his eyes freely roamed her body, "wouldn't want to hurt ya." Casey sucked in a deep breath to continue yelling at the guy.

"Hey, back the hell off, asshole!" someone shouted. Casey's knees wobbled with relief at hearing his voice, and when she saw him storm into the alleyway, her heart thundered wildly in her chest.

Derek reached out, grabbed the guys scruffy collar and held him up against the brick alleyway wall as he ripped the wallet from his hands.

"Don't touch it! It's mine!" the man yelled. Derek dropped the guy and opened the wallet, pretending to look at the I.D.

"Oh, so you're name's Casey McDonald? And you're 16 years old?" Derek rolled his eyes at the man's idiocy and walked over to his stepsister, roughly shoving the wallet in her hands. He shot the man one last murderous look before slipping an arm around Casey's shoulders and guiding her out of the alleyway.

They walked in silence for a moment before Casey broke down and started crying, gripping onto Derek's shirt as she tried to fight the tears.

"Why are you crying?" Derek asked, giving her an incredulous look. Casey shook her head and leaned into Derek, though not enough to call it a hug or embrace.

"I don't know!" she sobbed, wiping hurriedly at his eyes. "Maybe because you were right – Less then three minutes without you and I stumbled right into trouble."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Derek asked mockingly, holding out a hand behind his ear. Casey laughed and pushed at his shoulder.

"I said you were right," she replied in a much more stable voice. She smiled at Derek, and he smirked back at her.

"You wouldn't survive without me, Case. I keep you on your toes," he said, bumping her shoulder playfully, trying to rid his stepsister of her remaining tears and sadness.

Casey rolled her eyes in an equally playful manner and tucked her wallet safely in her pocket.

"So… the parking lot?"

"Wrong one." Casey nodded her head understandingly before linking her arm roughly with Derek's.

"Well, we have –,"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Derek exclaimed, staring at their entwined arms. "Just because I rescued you doesn't mean I'm your new gal-pal, alright? So… just, don't touch me," he murmured. Casey cocked an eyebrow.

"Alright."

"Good, because it's bad enough that I had to save you from some pervert and watch you sob, but that does not mean, under any circumstance, that our relationship has changed in anyway."

"Okay."

"You're still the stuck-up preppy princess, and I'm still the skirt-chasing cad, alright?" Casey smirked at the term he used. It was one she had used before hand, a while back, and the fact that he was willing to insult himself was enough proof that he wanted the remaining tears to vanish.

"Derek."

"What?"

"If you don't want me to touch you, why haven't you dropped my arm?" He glanced down and saw Casey's delicate arm still tucked in beside his, before sidestepping away from her in a hurry.

"I was… distracted… you know, listing off… and… you…" he sucked in a deep breath as Casey smirked, cocking an eyebrow. "Let's just continue searching."

* * *

"It's raining."

"No, I just spit on your face, is all."

"It's starting to rain."

"No, it's not."

"I think I just heard a thunderclap."

"No you didn't."

"Derek!" Casey laughed; tugging at his arm as the rain gently fell down around them. The sidewalk immediately became dimpled with dark spots, and Derek sighed, looking up at the grey clouds and cursing under his breath.

"Fine, it's raining. There, I admitted it. Happy?" he asked, looking over at Casey.

"Yes!" Casey cheered, slinging her arms up and tilting her face up so the rain splattered on her cheeks. It fell more steadily now, so that a misty haze arose around them.

She glanced at Derek, only to see he was staring at her like she had lost her mind.

"You've lost your mind. You're insane! Why are you so happy? It's _raining_!"

Casey laughed and lifted her shoulder limply.

"The rain makes me hyper." Derek lifted his lip in disgust as he looked her over.

"I always thought you were one of those, 'Eh! The rain! It will make my hair go frizzy!' kind of girls," he said slowly.

Casey shrugged again, her eyes watching as half the street-walkers evacuated into a building or car, while the other half pulled out umbrellas and continued on their way.

She turned back to Derek, smirking at him as she held out her hands.

"Doesn't it make you want to run through the rain? Doesn't it make you hyper? Or giddy? Huh? Huh?" Casey asked, stepping up close to Derek with her arms held out.

Derek laughed sharply and playfully pushed her away from him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think you've officially gone mad, that's what I think." Casey laughed and grabbed Derek's wrist. She spun him in a careful circle while cheering, "Wooh!" in an eerily cheerfully voice.

"Casey!" Derek laughed, grabbing her shoulders. She stared at him with her wide, blue eyes and he took a moment to remember what he was trying to say. "I don't think I like this weird, carefree Casey. Where is the old one? You know the keener?"

"Oh, she's gone on vacation," Casey laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "But she'll be back. You should enjoy the time you have with this hyper Casey."

"I get the distinct feeling the hyper-Casey doesn't come out too often."

"Nope!" she laughed in return. They were both soaked now, and she looked up into Derek's lively eyes, with his soaking hair falling in them, and something jumped in her throat. All in the same moment, she wanted to run as far away as she could, and reach up and mess up Derek's hair. She opened her mouth, but found herself thinking about what to think about. And in one final attempt to make herself seem smart, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Tag! You're it!" she yelled suddenly, slapping Derek's shoulder and jumping back. He cocked an eyebrow and laughed at her attempt.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"Oh, what's the matter, Der-Bear, afraid you can't catch me?" she asked, opening her mouth and snapping her fingers three times.

"No," Derek laughed, putting his hands on his waist, "I'm afraid someone will see me. I know I can catch you. Easily."

"Really, well prove it," Casey replied, hoping to get a rise out of him.

"Fine, I will."

"Game on, Venturi," Casey whispered, before jogging off into the rain, down the sidewalk and almost out of sight. Derek plunged on after her, easily catching up with her form until he was right on her heels. She let out a small scream of fear and pushed herself forward. Derek, though, could easily catch up. He ran off to the right of her body, reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

They both stopped running immediately, and she leaned over in an attempt to wriggle out of his grasp, but he just pulled his own body closer to hers and spun her around, lifting her off the ground playfully.

He hadn't realized it at the time, but they were both laughing manically. And the strangest thing was… he didn't mind.

Casey was still squirming, so he tightened his grip on her as she looked over her shoulder, smirking at him.

"Alright! Alright! You win!" she laughed. Derek twisted her around so she would face him and smiled, leaning in towards her.

"In. Your. _Face_!" he laughed. Casey cocked an eyebrow in what was supposed to be a mocking face, but a smile still lined her lips.

"Yeah, yeah. Now who's acting childish?" Derek just smirked at her, as silence fell around them. For the first time in… forever… Casey felt utterly speechless. The fact that she was inches from Derek's face made it only worse to bring something up to talk about.

"Derek," she whispered, thinking of anything intelligible to say. "You're hands are still on my waist," she said slowly. Derek glanced down, pulling his head up slightly and saw she was, in fact, right. He went to pull them back, when something interrupted them both.

"Derek Venturi!"

"Casey McDonald!" they both gasped and ripped away from one another, only to come face to face with their worst nightmare.

"Mom." Casey gasped.

"Dad!" Derek yelped.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Hope you liked the Dasey fluff. I, personally, thought the fluff started too soon, but I had to get this story rolling, anyways. Oh yeeeeaaah.**

**Not much to say, so… keep reading, and keep checking your emails and fanfiction for updates.**

**Hope Casey's "hyper-ness" wasn't too OOC.**

**Bow chicka bow wow.**


	6. Ajax

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 6: Ajax**_

_Summer break has finally come, and Nora and George are excited about their well-planned road trip to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Who could have predicted how many adventures could spurt from one trip, and what they would bring? Dasey._

**A/N**: _Agh. Told you guys there wouldn't be an update until Monday or Tuesday. Sorry. I got held up in London for an extra day and then my teachers decided to load me up with homework. Anyway…_

_Oh, yes. Sorry to disappoint ya'll, but Nora and George aren't mad at their children because of the way they caught them (all over each other), as they are quite oblivious to the physical attraction between Derek and Casey. Just a heads up that there will be no Dasey interrogation from Nora and Georgie-boy._

_**P.S. **__In the following chapter, George makes a huge mistake in his wording of something, that hints at major Dasey action. See if you can find it. (Should be easy)_

* * *

Casey was the first to pull away, facing her mother hurriedly. She took one look at the expression on Nora's face and decided to not justify herself. Derek looked idly at the ground, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Where. Have. You. Two. Been?" George asked slowly through clenched teeth. Casey saw, from the corner of her eye, that Derek's head snapped up.

"Oh, you know, around," Derek said, a teasing hint in his voice. George's face darkened considerably and Casey shivered. She had never seen him this angry before.

"I am not in the mood for your attitude right now, Derek."

"Casey," Nora began, gently laying a hand on her husband's shoulder, "Where were you? I was so worried."

"We got lost."

"Yeah, because Casey had to stop and hug some random guy."

"What?" Nora and George asked. Derek shrugged carelessly and Casey gave him the dirtiest look she could muster. Leave it to him to throw their new-found understanding of each other in the garbage.

"He was offering free hugs, Mom, it was nothing," Casey sighed, rubbing her head in frustration.

"Free hugs," Nora said slowly in a disbelieving tone. She placed her hands on her hips and perked a brow suspiciously.

"Hey, where are Marti, Ed and Liz?" Derek asked.

"Oh no, don't even try to change the subject," George said, laughing a dry laugh that held everything but humour. Derek cast his eyes downward again and stuffed his hands into his pocket, a careless expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Casey sighed, meeting Nora's eyes carefully. She probed them, looking for a sign she could continue, and sucked in a deep breath. "We tried finding the car, but we ended up getting more lost."

Nora's lips twitched, as if wanting to perk into a smile, and she mumbled something under her breath while George carefully looked over the two teenagers.

"Do you two know how worried we were about you? Lizzie and Ed refused to give up shopping, but Nora and me? We were freaking out. We were…" he paused and sucked in a deep breath, resting a finger on his lips as if searching for the right words to say.

"Dad, we get it. You were worried, but it wasn't our fault. If you hadn't ignored us in the first place we wouldn't have gotten lost!" Derek exclaimed, his voice rising with each word he spoke. Casey's eyes widened slightly at what he was saying.

"And why exactly is that?"

"You guys were acting like little kids! You were ignoring us! And you know how Casey is. She started ranting to the nearest person about how stupid you guys were and I, unfortunately, was the closest person to her. We got distracted, the hugs guy delayed us and we got lost. End of story."

"That's not true!" Casey yelled, pushing Derek's form away from hers. "I never called you guys stupid!"

"Yes you did!"

"No I didn't, I called them 'childish'," Casey smirked at Derek and gave him a patronizing look, before turning back to Nora and George, only to see them absolutely fuming.

"What?" Casey and Derek asked at the same time.

"Get in the car." George said with his voice low. He ran a hand through his hair, and Casey's heart immediately sank at how much stress she was causing Nora and George. This vacation was supposed to be relaxing, but since Derek and her had been cooped up together, there had been even more tension than usual.

"Yeah, I would if I knew where the hell it is!"

"Watch your language!" George yelled, before taking in a deep breath and mustering a calm face. "Get in the car. We'll discuss your punishments then."

"Dad…"

"No, Derek." With that, he turned on his heel and marched down the sidewalk. Derek reluctantly followed behind, shooting one unrecognizable look at Casey, who, in turn, paused and sucked in a deep breath.

"Mom, I am so, so sorry…"

"I know Sweetie," Nora said, smiling as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulling her in for a hug. "I know how stressful Derek can be, and I know getting lost with him wasn't exactly the ideal thing."

"Mom, stop it, you're making me feel worse." Nora laughed and kissed her daughter's head lightly, cupping her cheeks.

"I'm just glad we found you. George and I were so worried; it was horrible, not knowing where you two were… if we'd ever find you in a huge city like Toronto. Absolutely horrible."

"I'm sorry," Casey whispered, her brows furrowing. Nora sighed again and wrapped an arm around Casey's shoulder, guiding her along the sidewalk.

"I now know why you didn't want to come on vacation. You saw all of this happening, didn't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Casey laughed, shrugging her shoulder limply. "But it's not so bad, for me at least."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I actually had some fun… before you found us."

"Really?" Nora voice was disbelieving now and she cocked an eyebrow, before shaking her head. "Anyway, Casey, all I want to say is that this was a huge mistake, and I'm sorry for dragging you all into this. George and I were so scared, but he's taking a different way of expressing it. He turned angry, while I turned relieved at you two being found."

"Men," they both sighed.

"I'll convince George to rebuke your punishment, at least a little bit. He's just relieved, and I know he'll calm down enough by the time we reach the car." Nora smoothed her hand over Casey's hair and tightened her grip on her daughter.

"Mom, I'm really sorry. I'll try and stop doing things to stress you and George out. I feel so horrible about all of this," Casey sighed, her eyes meeting her mother's. Nora laughed and patted Casey's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Casey. Everything will be fine in the end."

* * *

"I've decided on a lesser punishment," George announced as soon as the whole family was back in the car. Nora glanced at her daughter with a smile on her face, and Casey just smirked and shook her head. She was sitting back in her normal seat, beside Lizzie, with Derek, unfortunately, behind her.

"Great," Derek murmured just loud enough so George couldn't hear him.

"When – and if—we get to Charlottetown, Derek is strictly bound to the family."

"Which means…?" Derek asked, waving his hand for his father to continue.

"This means there will be no babe scouting, no walking off on your own – which means no making out, no groping, no kissing, no flirting, no nothing with any other person outside this household when we arrive, got it?" George pulled out of the parking space, briefly glancing over his shoulder to stare at his son.

"Yeah, Dad. Should be… peachy," Derek murmured, slumping his head against the glass of the window. Casey's eyes fell on her mother, waiting for her sentence.

"Casey, you've got the same thing, though that shouldn't be a problem," Nora smirked at her daughter and Casey let out a sigh of relief. She didn't have that bad of a problem.

Silence filled the car, and George hesitantly flipped on the radio. Lizzie finally leaned over to Casey, smirking.

"So where were you?"

"Derek and I got lost," Casey sighed, rolling her eyes. Lizzie's smirk grew into a smile and she propped her head up against her hand.

"And…?"

"And what? That's all. Nothing happened."

"Oh," Lizzie frowned, and Casey dimly wondered if Lizzie had been awaiting some juicy detail, which only raised farther questions that Casey didn't even want to dream about.

Exhaustion seemed to grip all occupants of the car slowly. First Marti ticked off into dreamland, followed by Edwin, then Lizzie. Finally, Derek and Casey slipped off, the excitement of the day catching up on them, while Nora partially stayed awake to keep George awake.

In Casey's dreams, all she could see was that horrible homeless man, with his gooey gums and his missing teeth in all their glory, grinning wickedly at her. But instead of him robbing her wallet, he's wielding a knife that's almost as tall as his own height. He's ready to attack her, but she's paralyzed in fear. She can hear her heart hammering and a cold sweat lay over her skin. She can feel the beads of sweat roll down the back of her neck as the man moves towards her in slow motion.

And then there's a blinding light, and her heart beats faster, and faster, and she felt as if everything would be alright, even though the man is still advancing on her. She's not scared anymore, because the light slowly ceases, and the man crumples to the floor, dying. Casey's heart flutters triumphantly as she stares down at the man. He opens his mouth to say something, but what he does say makes Casey's dream start spinning.

"_Sir, the highways closed, sir."_

Casey jolted up in her seat, her hair splayed around her face and her breathing erratic. She looked around the car quickly, looking for the source of the voice that had awoken her from her pathetic dream.

Her eyes landed on George, who had his window rolled down and was leaning out of it, speaking quietly to someone. Casey glanced out of the window, but only saw her reflection on a black canvas, indicating night had fallen. Why hadn't they checked into a motel?

"Why? You see, I'm not around these parts, and I don't really know any other path then the 401."

"Oh, well you just take this exit, and… where are you headed off to, anyway?"

"Well… all I need to know is how to get back on the highway and where I should get back on." Casey leaned forward and saw the police officer, who George was talking to, shake his head.

"Nope, you have to take the exit, and if you want to beat all the traffic of everyone trying to get into Ajax, then you take this small road called 'Rosedale' north for about an hour and off into the country. Then you turn onto Osslin and take that east until you reach Pitsky, where you take that south, and that should branch off onto the 401 near Whitby. It takes awhile, yes, but it'll take longer if you follow the traffic through Ajax."

"You sure there's no way we could use the highway? Why's it closed, anyway?" George asked, settling back into his chair with one hand resting contemplatively on his chin.

"Oh, a couple of murder suspects are in this area, and the police have them cornered near the 401." Casey, along with George, was shocked by the way the policeman just brushed it off like it was nothing. He patted the car before walking off to the next car and instructing them to exit the highway.

Casey settled back against her seat and breathed out heavily, causing George to swivel around and glance at her.

"You're awake?" he asked.

"Yeah. And I'm glad to see you are, too. Is Mom asleep?"

"Yeah," George replied, glancing at Casey in the rear view mirror. He sighed and rubbed his forehead roughly.

"You don't think I was too hard on Derek?" he asked hesitantly. "Like, not the punishment. It'll do him good not to spend his whole vacation around girls. But, I mean the yelling… the blaming. I feel bad about it now."

"Don't worry," Casey laughed, settling against her seat again. "Derek deserves it. But…" Casey's voice dropped immediately and she leaned forward, up against George's chair, recalling her dream briefly. "Derek's not that bad, if you get past his cockiness… and annoyance… and… everything in between. But that's just between us, alright?" George laughed and shook his head.

"Never thought I'd see the day Casey McDonald would admit her stepbrother isn't that bad." Casey smiled and settled into her chair again.

"So we're in Ajax? Where is that?"

"Near Toronto. We didn't get that far, because the traffic was backed up severely," George replied, glancing at Casey's tired form in the rear view mirror again. "You should try and sleep a little bit longer. You had a rough day."

Casey smiled and tried stifling a yawn.

"Thanks," she replied as her eyelids drooped down, turning everything black.

Casey had the exact same dream, with the exact same actions that had occurred previously. This time, however, when the man crumpled up at her feet and opened his mouth, a new phrase left his lips.

"_Dam it! I'm such an idiot!"_

Casey's eyelids carefully peeled open, seeing blurry, but moving, silhouettes and was immediately glad to see she wasn't the only one awake this time.

"George, calm down."

"Dad, my God… who forgets to refill their gas tank?" Colours and shapes formed in Casey's eyes, and she immediately realized what was blocking her view of seeing George and Nora.

It was Derek's butt.

"Ew! Gross! Get that thing out my face!" Casey screeched, reached her foot out and kicking it out of her view and off to the side. Derek toppled to the floor, surprised that she was awake, before a smirk lined his features.

"Lovely view, eh?" he laughed. Casey rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt, taking Derek's place of hovering between George and Nora's seats, crouching down on her knees.

"What's going on?" She felt Derek hover over her body and her voice faltered on her last word. She coughed slightly, than faced her mom for an explanation.

"George forgot to refill the gas in Ajax, and now we're in the middle of no where without any means of transportation."

"And miles away from civilization," Derek added, smirking cockily at his parents.

George frustratingly slammed his hands on the wheel and it let out a loud honk, which echoed off the dark trees that surrounded the car.

Casey sucked in a deep breath.

"So what do we do?" she asked lightly.

"We get gas. What else can we do?" George asked, pushing open his door. Cold sweat lined Casey's neck and she sucked in another deep breath, remembering the policeman's explanation of why the highway had been shut down. A murderer.

Something in the back of Casey's mind laughed at the fact that their little problem had all the right elements to turn into a horror film, but fear overcame that enjoyment and her eyes widened.

"Well, I'm not staying cooped up here with you ladies. I'm going with Dad." Derek opened Lizzie's door, letting the cool, summer's night breeze into the car.

"Hey!" Edwin, who was now awake, called from the back.

"No!" Casey gasped, reaching for Derek's arm. She grabbed it and dug her nails into the bare skin of his wrist.

"What?" Derek asked harshly, glancing at her hand, then back at her face with on eyebrow cocked.

"I… uhh… umm…" her voice trailed off, and Derek restlessly began tugging at her grasp. "I want to go, too…?"

"What?" George, Nora and Derek both asked.

"I, uh… yeah… just think that being cooped up in here is starting to suffocate me. Need some fresh, night air!" Casey said with false joyfulness, her eyes shifting nervously. Derek stared at her as if she was someone of lower-intelligence.

"Umm… no."

"Derek!" George chastised. Casey smirked and pushed Derek aside, stepping out into the night air. She shivered and immediately regretted her decision. Curse her mind and its stupid decision to come along and make sure Derek and George returned safely… with no murderer following them. She wanted to back down, but caught sight of Derek's expression.

It was clear he could see what she was thinking: regret and re-decision, and he was daring her to back down.

"Casey, you coming?" called George, who was five feet away from the place he had previously been standing.

"Yeah, Case, coming?" Derek asked, his voice full of mockery and rudeness. Casey nodded her head.

"Of course, but shouldn't Mom, Lizzie, Edwin and Marti come, too? You know, a family walk… or something."

"We can't do that," George said. "Marti's too tired to walk, and someone has to stay behind and watch her and the car." Casey sighed, than turned to face Lizzie and her mom, asking them with her facial expression if they wanted to join her.

They both shook their heads, before Lizzie slammed the door shut, leaving Casey to sigh in annoyance.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her shoulders and began guiding her away from the car.

"Ah, so one day of being Derek-ified wasn't enough for you? Had to come back for more?" he teased, smirking at her with his infamous "charming" smirk.

This was defiantly going to be one hell of a walk.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**And… BAM! Left ya'll on a cliff-hanger… ish. Hope you all enjoyed! Next chapter should be coming out sooner then this one did, and should have much more Dasey. This chapter was... meh.**

**Uhm… yeah… not much to say.**

**Oh, except review, Review, REVIEW!**

**Thank you, and have a nice day.**

_**Look... it's a disclaimer…!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except the following streets (Yes, sadly, I had to make up some stuff… -sniff-) Osslin and Pitsky, and Rosedale's a real street, just not in the right location I put it in.**


	7. Whitby

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 7: Whitby**_

**A/N: **_Yay! This is, officially, the most reviewed story of mine… EVER! And for that, I am grateful, Faithful Reviewers. Reading your reviews? I find myself always smiling like an idiot. And not one single flame! Wow! And… and… we're almost at 80 reviews in** 6**__ chapters! That's amazing, to me. Just… wow, you guys really make my day. I'm so proud of the stats of this story… all thanks to you guys._

_Anyway, enough rambling. Let the chapter begin!_

_-Curtain opens-_

* * *

"Remove your arm," Casey sighed, sidestepping from his touch and crossing her arms. She avoided meeting Derek's eyes as she quickened her pace, catching up to George's form ahead.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Derek called after her, holding his arms out wide with confusion clear on his face. He muttered something before following religiously behind George and Casey, his mind wandering from how he was missing out on hockey to what Sam and Ralph were doing.

Casey's mind, however, wasn't so careless. She inspected every space between the trees carefully, and every time the wind blew one of the smaller trees, she jumped in fear. Occasionally she would look over her shoulder to make sure Derek was still there, and every minute or so a shiver would run down her spine from the sensation of being watched. And that was never a comfortable feeling.

"So how far away do you think the gas station is?" Derek asked, squeezing his way between George and Casey, resting his elbows on their shoulders carelessly.

"Derek, we're in the middle of no where. Where do you _think _a gas station would be?" she snapped, rolling her eyes. She had the hugest urge to rip away from his touch, but couldn't because of the warmth it gave her. She involuntarily shifted into his side, looking away briefly as her cheeks burned on their own accord.

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"We have to find a town," George replied, scratching his head, "And then find a gas station."

"I hope Mom and everyone else is alright…" Casey sighed, just as Derek let out a loud yawn, dropping his elbow on George's shoulder to place his hand tiredly over his mouth.

"What time is it? I feel like I can just fall in the ditch and go to sleep."

"It's one in the morning," George replied stiffly. Casey glanced over to him and saw his tired eyes. Her eyes shifted on Derek's face, and saw he had an equally tired expression, with light bags under his eyes.

"Why didn't we just sleep in the minivan and wait until morning to walk into town? Or we could've hitchhiked in the morning, because I'm sure a lot more cars would've passed by then. Or –,"

"Casey? Shut-up," Derek hissed. His voice made Casey snap out of her fear, and she became aware that his arm was still draped on her shoulder. She focussed solely on the feeling she was getting from his touch, instead that a murderer could be watching them. Her mind was telling her she should feel uncomfortable, but in truth, she wasn't. She felt safe, and warm, and immediately disliked the fact that it was Derek who caused her to feel like this.

"George, you do remember what the policeman told us, though, right?" she asked, finally deciding to bring up the murderer subject, if only to avoid the 'Derek's-touch-feels-good' subject in her mind.

"Hmm? What?" George replied gruffly. Casey glanced over and saw that George looked in the middle of falling asleep.

"The murderer? We're not that far away from the highway, and the highway was only closed because of a killer, and by now he could've travelled this far… and…"

"So that's why you agreed to come," Derek replied, laughing lightly. Derek's voice was filled of sarcasm, but she felt his fingers swipe over her bare arm in a comforting motion, though if it was on purpose or not, she'd never know.

"What?"

"You wanted to make sure we were safe," Derek's face brightened up, and Casey sighed, mentally preparing herself for his insults.

But none came.

And once more, she was shocked at how well Derek knew her. It was almost scary that he knew exactly what she was thinking. Her thoughts were cut short when Derek leaned towards her ear.

"But in horror movies, the people in the car? They always get 'it' first," Derek whispered. Casey shivered and finally stepped away from Derek, causing his arm to drop to his side.

"Well, in case you didn't realize, this isn't a horror movie," she snapped in reply, re-crossing her arm for good measure as she continued to walk as far away from Derek as she could.

Derek's eyes analyzed her face, before they slowly turned to look over her shoulder. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

"Oh my God, Casey! Behind you!" he yelled. Casey stopped walking, unsure if it was a prank or not. She cocked an eyebrow and was about to yell at Derek to stop being an idiot when she felt something scrap against the back of her neck. Her mouth fell open and she bolted forward, screaming.

"Derek!" she panted, throwing her arms around his neck so she pressed into his back. She shifted over so she was squeezed between George and Derek, and, finally, realizing she was as safe as she could be, she looked over her shoulder.

And Derek's laughing started.

"Oh, man! You should've seen your face!" he laughed, stopping to kneel over in laughter. Casey huffed and crossed her arms furiously, realizing that it had only been a tree's low branch that had scraped against her neck.

"Derek, that wasn't funny," George sighed, but when Casey glanced at him she saw a smile lining his features.

"Yes it was!"

"No it wasn't!" Casey yelled between gritted teeth. She smacked him in the arm twice, before reaching out and kicking his shin. "I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Ow! Why are you hitting me?" he asked, but he was still smiling from his stupid little prank. He sighed heavily and wiped away a tear, glancing at Casey once more.

George, realizing the initial excitement of the prank had faded, and that his stepdaughter and son were about to start a heated argument, walked ahead, sighing heavily under his breath.

"Derek! You shouldn't do things like that!" Casey cried. She rubbed her hand tiredly over the bridge of her nose, trying to hide the fact that tears started pricking at her eyes and blurring her vision, so colours swirled and shaped turned disfigured.

She wasn't crying over Derek's prank, and how he had been 'mean', God no. She wanted to cry because the fear had been so… real. And when Casey was scared, as in truly fearful? She cried.

She turned away from Derek and pressed her palm into her eye, sniffing lightly. She hated that he had this affect on her. He could make her absolutely and insanely mad one moment, close to tears the next, then laughing and having a good time as finality.

"Oh, don't tell me you're crying," Derek sighed. Casey hurriedly wiped the single tear that slipped out before taking in a deep, shuddering breath.

"Why?" he breathed. His voice was so quiet it could have been mistaken for the wind, yet because of his nearness to her, Casey heard him, and shuddered when his breath gusted across her neck.

"Because… Because I don't know! I just don't like being pranked when the punch line is life or death."

"But it wasn't _actually_ –,"

"It doesn't matter! You just scared me, that's all. Just leave it at that." Derek nodded his head at Casey's sharp reply, and stuffed one hand in his pocket. Casey turned away from Derek and looked to George's form ahead of them.

"We should go."

"Yeah," Derek sighed. He got into step beside her, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Are you done crying now?" he asked, clearly uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Casey laughed, rolling her eyes over to meet Derek's gaze. He smiled timidly at her as a strong breeze picked up around them. It howled in Casey's ear, blocking out all other sounds for the moment being, but as it did that, she saw Derek's lips move, just as, 'I'm sorry', reached her ears in less then a whisper.

As the breeze died down, she stared at Derek harshly. Did he actually say that? Did he _actually _apologize? She shook her head and lowered her gaze to the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. No, he didn't say that. Derek Venturi didn't do apologies, when they weren't ordered by Nora or George.

What Casey didn't know, though, was how distraught she had looked. Ever since she had thrown her arms around his neck and he felt her hands shaking, Derek knew it had been a mistake to prank her when they had been that tired and exhausted from the day before them. The fact that a supposed 'murderer' was on the loose was sure to have heightened Casey's 'alert-and-over-dramatize' abilities.

And when she started crying? He knew something had gone wrong in his stupid little last-minute prank. And suddenly, Derek was struck with an emotion he had never had much experience with: guilt. He didn't know what to do with Casey standing there. Her tears had left him confused and cold. How could she do that? She was the only one he knew that could bring out these mysterious emotions that Derek Venturi wasn't supposed to have.

And even though Casey had dropped the subject, he could still see her distress and fear. It was evident, and the fact that the guilt was still bubbling inside him made him mutter two horrifying words he never thought he'd mutter, truthfully, to Casey McDonald. Luckily they had been blocked out by the wind.

Casey let the whole apology thing drop, and instead focussed on George's shadowy silhouette up ahead. He had stopped and was leaning against a tree, his head turned towards the approaching teens. Good thing he had stopped, because Casey wouldn't be able to handle getting "lost" with Derek again.

"It's alright George, we worked everything out," Casey called. When George didn't do anything, she frowned.

"Who're you talking to?" Derek asked, leaning towards Casey so his voice wasn't over-powered by the wind, which was picking up drastically.

"George," Casey replied. She waved her hand and smiled brightly, but Derek stopped walking. She turned and stared at him, perking a brow.

"What?" she hissed. Derek's eyes slowly slid over to meet hers and he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her body against his side.

"That's not George."

"Derek," Casey chastised, rolling her eyes. "You can't prank me twice in less then an hour."

"I'm serious," he breathed. He shifted her over so she stood next to him and pointed to another figure, much farther ahead then the silhouette against the tree.

"That's George."

"What? No it isn't," Casey replied back. Her eyes shifted over and, taking one look at Derek's pale face and wide eyes, suddenly became aware that he was… right.

"Holy shit," she gasped, stilling her movement as the silhouette shifted and stepped out closer to the road.

The panic that surged through Casey's body was unexplainable. She wanted to faint, or scream, or cry. Something heavy and dangerous pulsed through her chest and down into her gut that weighed her down and made speech impossible.

Casey was finally able to do something; she shifted her right side into Derek's left, and wrapped her right arm around his while also gripping his hand with her left one. She glanced hurriedly at Derek and saw he was practically immobilized.

"What do we do?" she breathed. Derek's shoulder lifted limply and slightly, indicating he had no idea.

The silhouette moved closer to them, and Casey could clearly make out two important factors: this man wore a ski mask, and there was a shining knife strapped to his belt. The man raised a hand, and Casey chest rose and fell heavily, trying to decipher his actions. Was that a greeting or a warning? Was he going to use that knife? Was he the murderer or an accomplice? Didn't the police have him cornered by the highway?

He took a step and laced his thumbs in his belt nonchalantly.

"Howdy."

_Howdy? _Wasn't he going to give them a warning? Or kidnap them? And where was George? All these thoughts were racing through Casey's head, until Derek spoke up.

"Hey," he replied. Casey's body froze, and if she wasn't immobilized in fear she would have smacked his head and lectured him at not befriending criminals.

She watched as his hand fiddled with the knife in what, she hoped, was supposed to be a show-off gesture, and not a warning gesture.

"Nice night for a walk," he commented, taking another step. When he did, Casey suddenly felt like this was all a dream. She couldn't possibly get involved with two criminals in one day, could she? Her mind flashed back to the hobo and all she wanted was to curl up and go to sleep. Did she honestly have that much bad luck?

"Yeah," Derek said stiffly. She watched as his eyes shifted over to the knife.

"Got a nice a girl there," the man commented. His voice took on a friendly tone, causing Casey to cock an eyebrow in surprise. This thought aside, she saw Derek's lips pinch together, and she was about to speak up and correct the man when Derek replied, causing her to immobilize for a whole different reason.

"Yeah," was all he said.

"Excuse me," Casey spoke up, scrunching her lips up in thought. When the man's gaze fell on her, she paused, suddenly loosing her ability to speak. "Can we leave now? Or are we still technically 'chatting'?"

"I'm not holding you back. You can leave if you want, but we are in the middle of a conversation, you know, and that's rude," the man replied.

"Are you planning on using that knife?" Derek asked. The man glanced down.

"Possibly," was all he said, his hand reaching down to fiddle with it. "If you give me any trouble."

Casey sucked in a deep breath and, surprisingly, Derek's hand squeezed hers comfortingly. She stared at him in shock as he took a step away.

"We won't be any trouble. We'll just… leave," he said, starting to guide Casey away.

"Now," the man began, and Casey saw him dislodge and pull the knife out of his belt loop. "How on Earth do I trust ya'll won't go and tell the police where I am?"

"Maybe because we're miles away from a town and we don't have a cell phone?" Casey snapped before realizing who she was speaking to, and quickly ducked behind Derek's shoulder.

"Mouthy, aren't you?" he smirked, but not in a friendly way. He raised the knife threateningly toward the two and took several large steps toward them. Surprisingly, she watched as Derek's shoulder bumped her back so he was slightly in front of her.

Just as Casey felt all feeling leave her stomach, and just as she felt this may be the end, a loud noise made her want to faint with relief.

Sirens.

The man's head shot out, to down the road where a couple of police cruisers were soaring down. Casey could clearly see he was contemplating running, but his indecision lasted a moment too long, as the cruisers had already pulled up.

Derek and Casey watched in shock as policemen pulled out their guns and started yelling things at the man. Casey glanced over at Derek and saw a smirk tug at his lips and his eyes widen in amazement at the scene before their eyes.

In seconds the man was handcuffed and pulled into the back of a cruiser, before policemen started swarming around the two teenagers.

"Are you alright?" was the first question Casey recognized. She nodded her head as a yes, before a policewoman took the two teenagers aside. She explained they'd need to take a report on what happened, and when Derek was in the middle of explaining the events of the past half hour or so, George showed up.

"Derek! Casey!" he called. The police let him through when he explained his relation to them, and he immediately swept them in a hug, causing Derek to groan in protest. Casey, though, relished in George's affection and hugged him back tightly. She had been so terrified earlier, and having someone who actually cared for her wellbeing was nice.

The night flashed by, in Casey's eyes, as she only remembered small snippets of what had happened. She remembered George and the police talking, Derek explaining what had happened, including why they had set out in the first place, before a policeman and his partner agreed to drive back and transfer some of his gas to allow the family to drive into Whitby and stay in a hotel.

She remembered driving in the back of a police cruiser; she remembered the shocked expressions of Lizzie, Edwin and Nora when they arrived, and Marti's happy expression they were back. She remembered her mother practically crying when they told her what happened, and she remembered being hugged again.

She remembered sitting in the back seat of the minivan, while everyone else helped transfer the gasoline, draped in a blanket, and she remembered being more exhausted then she had ever felt before. But the thing she remembered most was that Derek had been glued to her side throughout the whole thing. She never once remembered him leaving her, and for that she was glad.

As she slipped into sleep, she dimly remembered her head falling on Derek's shoulder limply. Later, she would never be able to recall if he had pushed her off or let her head stay there, but she didn't mind either way. The events of the day had proved Derek more trustworthy and open to her then he had ever been before, and she would have been a fool to assume those changed would take a permanent and drastic effect immediately.

She only remembered being awaken once so she could leave the minivan and clamber into a motel room, slip under the sheets and curl up to the person next to her. She had no idea who she slept next to, but was only glad that she wouldn't spend the night alone.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**-Prepare for me being a tough critic to myself-**

**I found this chapter didn't have nearly as much Dasey as I had been shooting for.**

**Ending was rushed and ugly.**

**-End criticism-**

**Hope you liked! And I hope you weren't annoyed that Casey and Derek were once more in danger by a criminal. I don't know, I just like putting characters I'm writing about in dangerous situations. It gives me thrills. Heh.**

**So review, Review, REVIEW**

**And I shall update, Update, UPDATE!**


	8. Clarington

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 8: Clarington**_

**A/N: **_Oh my God! _

_-Starts hyperventilating into paper bag-_

_**Over 100 freaking reviews**__! _

_-Pops confetti-_

_Wow! I've never, ever had 100 reviews for one story before. You guys are AMA-ZING reviewers. Keep 'em coming, people!_

_**Disclaimer… sort of… **__I know the driving laws of Ontario quite clearly, and I know that teens with only their G1 cannot drive on the highway. But, for the sake of this story, we'll pretend that law doesn't exist._

* * *

"_Casey… Casey, wake up…" _Casey pinched her eyes shut and shook her head to the side, trying to rid the voice from her thoughts. Grogginess still had its hold on her, and she could still feel the exhaustion from yesterday. Her limbs felt numb and her head was pounding. All she wanted was to sleep a little longer…

"Casey!" it was much louder now, and right in her ear. She raised a hand tiredly and swiped at the general direction the voice had come from, but all she felt was air. She moaned and peeled open one eye, trying to get the blurry figure to take form.

"Derek?" she mumbled, her other eye opening as she took in his dishevelled form. She moaned loudly and slumped down on her pillows, sighing heavily. "Don't tell me I fell asleep next to you."

"Then I won't tell you," Derek replied back. Casey's form shot up and she stared at Derek with wide eyes, shooting him a dangerous look. He smirked and plopped his head in his hand.

"Kidding. You didn't have the wonderful obligation that most girls would die for," he replied. At her disbelieving look, he rolled his eyes, "You fell asleep next to Lizzie."

"Good," Casey shot back, ripping the covers off her body and slipping off the bed. "I don't think I can handle another night next to you. My back was aching the other morning from having you hog most of the bed."

"Oh, and sleeping next to you was such a privilege," Derek shot back, smirking as he, too, stood up and stretched. "Having you snore in my face was a very traumatizing experience."

Casey smirked and shook her head slightly, making her way over to the bathroom.

"And having your ass in my face wasn't? How on earth do you sleep, anyway? You sleep like, folded in half, practically," Casey replied as she turned on the tap water. Derek came into view in the mirror, smirking as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Aren't you going to ask where Lizzie and Edwin are?" he asked, perking a brow. Casey was in the middle of spraying water on her face when he said this, so she immediately froze.

"Where are they, anyway?" she asked.

"And haven't you realized how dark it was outside the window?" he continued. She turned and faced him full-on, her mouth slack jawed and hanging.

"What time is it?"

"Oh…," Derek glanced down at his watch. "Is that… yes, it's six in the morning."

"And _you _were up before _me_? And why? We only got like, four hours of sleep!" Casey protested, cranking the water off and crossing her arms to face Derek.

"Dad wants to get a major head-start on driving. He says we're way behind schedule and we need to get to Kingston before ten o'clock to help get back on schedule. I think that's a load of crap considering—,"

"_Kingston_? That's like, three hours away! Three hours of nonstop driving! Three hours of putting up with… with _you_!" Casey yelled, pushing past Derek to stand in front of the floor-length mirror so she could analyze herself. She was still wearing the outfit from yesterday, and since her suitcase was still packed in the minivan, she assumed she wouldn't have time to change until they got to Kingston.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it just as much as you are," Derek snapped. He pulled open the front door, glancing over his shoulder once. "I'll save you a spot right next to me, _Princess_." Winking, he slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Casey to stare at her reflection.

She had pushed it as far from her mind as she could, the events of yesterday… Honestly, she didn't really want to talk about, and thus equalled her ignoring the topic. But what was someone who came face-to-face with murderer supposed to do the day after? Curl up in a ball? Pretend everything was okay? Joke about it, or have a serious discussion?

Casey sighed and pulled her tangled hair into a ponytail before exiting the motel room. As she walked along the wrap-around porch, with the darkness engulfing her, she shivered. The events that took place less then five hours ago still clear in her mind. Though the murderer was safely behind bars, she couldn't stop herself from looking over her shoulder a few times until she reached the minivan.

The side door was open, and when she climbed in she noticed that Lizzie had taken Derek's spot in the back, sitting next to Edwin. Marti had happily taken the window seat Casey had occupied when Edwin was sick.

"Lizzie?" Casey asked. Lizzie's eyes landed on her sister and she smiled meekly.

"Is it okay if I sit back here? Me and Edwin –,"

"—And Marti!—"

"—want to play games." Casey sighed deeply, eyeing the empty spot Derek would have to occupy with a disgusted look.

"As long as Derek's alright with it. Where is he, anyway?" she asked. Lizzie met Edwin's gaze briefly and they shared a look, before she turned back to her sister.

"He went with George and Mom to sign-out of the motel," she replied. Edwin leaned forward, his arm draped over Casey's chair.

"So, about the events of the past morning…" he began. He perked a brow as if to ask if she was alright with the subject, and she nodded slightly. "How did you feel when confronted by the murderer?"

"What?"

"Just please answer the question," Edwin replied, shaking his head.

"Like a normal person would – scared, terrified, afraid…," Casey voice faded out, before she thrusted her head to the side. "Anything else?"

"Were you happy Derek was there?"

"What?!"

"Derek, my brother? Were you happy he was there?"

"I guess. I mean, I would've felt a hell of a lot more worse if he wasn't, and he did seem like a protector to me, so I guess I did feel… happy." Edwin nodded at Lizzie, and she squeezed next to Edwin.

"And has your relationship changed in anyway?" Casey cocked her head downward.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, has anything new arisen…?" she asked hopefully. Casey snorted with laughter, leaning back against the window.

"What? No, Derek and I are still the same. Why, what did you think happened?"

"Oh, nothing," Lizzie replied, settling back against her seat. She pulled out a folder and Edwin pressed against her, pointing a finger at what she was writing and murmuring in her ear.

Casey was about to question them when Derek jumped into the vehicle, squeezed past Casey and sat happily down in Lizzie's old spot, seemingly oblivious to the change in seats.

Nora and George quickly assembled in the front silently. The engine revved and they pulled away from the motel. Casey analyzed George carefully. His eyes were red and he had dark marks under them, indicating he got no more then an hour or so of sleep. Nora looked them same, yet in a matter of minutes she had fallen asleep against her headrest.

* * *

Casey had occupied herself to watching the sunrise while they travelled along the highway. Everyone had fallen asleep, excluding George, Derek and herself. Marti was leaning against the window as her chest rose and fell steadily. Lizzie and Edwin were tucked against each other, their binder of information tucked safely between their bodies.

Casey watched as the sky brightened to a golden-pink hue, and was drifting off into thoughts of the past morning when the car jostling caught her attention.

She peered out the front windshield and saw that the car had veered off to the side of the road, half on the dirt and half off.

"George!" Casey exclaimed, leaning forward and shaking his shoulder. George's head snapped up and he quickly righted the vehicle.

"Sorry, must have…" his voice trailed off, wavering slightly.

"… dozed off?" Casey finished for him. George nodded reluctantly and Casey smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, let me drive. You can sleep if you want."

George lazily stopped the car at the side of the road and turned to smile at his stepdaughter.

"Thanks Casey," he sighed, opening the door and walking around the front of the vehicle to Casey's door. She opened it and was about to step out when Derek's fingers curled around her wrist.

"I think I should drive," he stated simply. Casey shook her wrist free of Derek's grasp and snorted.

"No, I think _I_ should."

"Give me two good reasons why you're more fit to drive then I am!" Derek demanded, crossing his arms. Casey rolled her eyes up, thinking for a second, before meeting Derek's gaze once more.

"One: I know my geography, thus we'll actually _get_ to Kingston. Two: I won't make us stop at every McDonald's and Tim Horton's for food. Happy?" she asked, smirking as she climbed out of the car and jogged around to the driver's side. She climbed in and slammed the door shut.

"No, I am not," Derek replied. "Hey, and I know my geography!" he exclaimed. Casey glanced at the review mirror, only to meet his gaze. She quickly averted her eyes to the road and pulled out.

"Says the guy who didn't know where Charlottetown was," she sneered, rolling her eyes.

After two minutes of driving and passing by a sign that said 'Clarington', she could practically feel Derek's annoyance in the air. He was leaning forward, looking out the windshield with a pained expression on his face. She saw his fingers twitch, and almost laughed at his childishness. She knew she should've been watching the road, and not Derek, but he was far more entertaining.

She glanced at the road and let out a deep, happy sigh, slowing the van down another five kilometres.

"Can you go any slower?!" Derek finally snapped. He ripped off his seatbelt and leaned against Casey's chair, one arm resting on the unused armrest by Casey's side, the other draped over the shoulder of the chair.

"Yes, I can. And I would appreciate it if you put your seatbelt back on and didn't distract me," she said, smirking at his annoyed features.

"I…" he paused to lean toward Casey, his voice much lower then it had been moments ago. "Distract you?" he finished in a whisper. A shiver involuntarily rolled down Casey's spine at his voice and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"Well, draped over my chair, who wouldn't be?" she snapped. Derek made a 'hmmph' sound and let Casey drive on for another minute without saying anything.

"Okay, you actually have to press down on the gas pedal, you know," he snapped. Casey laughed and glanced at Derek's reflection in the mirror.

"You're such a backseat driver," she sighed. But, just to make him shut-up, she sped up to 100 kilometres.

"Thank you!" Derek cheered, letting out a deep breath. Casey smiled until her stomach growling interrupted them. She guiltily stared down at her gut, before glancing at the road. As if fate had made it so, a sign passed by indicating a Tim Horton's and a Wendy's was coming up. She flicked on the blinker and turned into the little highway-food court-plaza.

"We're getting food?" Derek asked excitedly. Casey sucked in a deep breath.

"Yes, we are. But only us, alright? I don't want to wake anyone, especially not Mom. She'd freak out if she realized I was driving without any adult supervision," Casey said while she pulled into a parking lot.

Derek and Casey exited the car as silently as they could before they headed into the Tim Horton's. As they did, Casey inhaled quickly. The place smelt of doughnuts and coffee – a nice combination, in her opinion.

They got in the long line and patiently waited, all the while Casey's stomach growls turned louder and longer.

"Can you shut that thing up?" Derek whispered. Casey looked down at and clutched her stomach, meeting Derek's gaze.

"I don't think I can…" she said in false horror.

"Sh… it might hear you," Derek whispered in return. Casey laughed and glanced up at Derek, only to see him smiling down at her. She cleared her throat and glanced away, just as the line shifted upward a bit.

"I'll be right back. I have to go to the washroom," Derek murmured. Casey nodded her head, not glancing as Derek disappeared into the crowd. She analyzed the menu hanging over the cashier workers with a frown on her lips, trying to decide between the toasted bagel or a sandwich.

"Hello." Casey eyes snapped toward the source of the voice, only to come face to face with a blond-haired guy with big, green eyes. He smiled at Casey politely, and her eyes widened.

"Umm… hi," she replied, wincing when her voice cracked.

"My name's Ryan," the guy said. Casey's heart fluttered when she realized he had a British accent. She always had a fetish for guys with British accents.

"Casey," she replied, shaking the hand he had held out. She smiled timidly as he settled back, smirking at her in a way that reminded her of Derek.

"Ever been to Tim Horton's before?" he asked. Casey laughed, lifting her shoulders simply.

"Who hasn't?"

"Well… me. I'm vacationing here with my family," he replied. Something dropped in Casey's stomach and her laughter died.

"Oh," was all she managed to get out. Ryan smiled at her, shifting uncomfortable.

"It's alright. But, since you've been here before, what would you recommend?" he asked. Casey eyed him, before opening her mouth to speak.

"Well, I'd get a toasted bagel. Those are always good, but if you're up for something filling and different, try one of the sandwiches – or, if you're up for both, you could get their bagel BLT. I've never tried it, but people say it's good. Oh, and then there's… the… uh… why are you staring at me?" Her eyes did an once-over Ryan's smiling features, as she nervously fidgeted with the lint in her jean pocket.

"Do you always ramble?"

"Sorry," she whispered. Ryan smirked and touched her arm lightly.

"It's alright. It's a cute quality," he said simply. Casey met his eyes, stilling her movements completely as Ryan smiled at her. He removed his arm and rolled his shoulders back.

"So… you say you're vacationing? In Canada? Why? Canada's not that glamorous," she said. Ryan perked a blond eyebrow.

"On the contrary. Canada is amazing. Very cultural, and it has a lot of freedom, and history. Lots of good things have come out of Canada, and, in my opinion, its one of the best countries in the world."

"Really?" Casey asked. She was impressed with this guy.

"Yes! My family and I are only going to stay in Ontario, one of the most cultural provinces. We're going to Kingston to see a play at the Grand Theatre. Did you know it's supposed to be haunted by its 1919 owner –,"

"Kingston?" Casey asked, leaning back in amazement. "That's where my family and I are going next. You say you're seeing a play? That's cool. I love plays," Casey replied, stopping herself short when she realized she was rambling again. Ryan's eyebrows shot up and he reached into his pocket, pulling a paper out.

"Well, if you're going to Kingston see if you can convince your family to come see the play. I'm sure there are still some tickets left, if you order soon." He pulled out a pen from his polo shirt pocket and scribbled on the back of the 'Grand Theatre' pamphlet. "The number to call for reservations is in there, but here's my number. Maybe we could," he glanced up, meeting Casey's gaze shyly, "meet up, if you're going. Call me and we'll discuss where we can meet." He passed her the pamphlet, but all Casey could do was smile at him like an idiot.

"Wow, alright!" Casey finally said, laughing. Ryan smirked as the line shifted, so he was next.

"Hey, Casey! Did you know they have…? Who are you?" Derek asked, stepping next to Casey and giving Ryan a pointed look.

"Ryan Sullivan," he said, smirking. He glanced back at Casey. "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend."

"Oh, he's not…" Casey's voice trailed off when the lady in front of Ryan moved aside so he could order. He gave a slight wave to Casey and Derek, before stating his order. Casey tucked the pamphlet away gingerly while gaping at Ryan.

"I don't like him," Derek stated simply, watching as Ryan shifted over to grab his food. He looked up, gave one more timid wave and walked out of the restaurant.

"Jealous much?" Casey snapped. She was annoyed that Derek had interrupted their discussion, and even more annoyed that Ryan had assumed they were together.

Why did everyone assume they were a couple?

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Next chapter… Kingston! Dun dun dunnnn…**

**Eh, nothing remotely original to say here that may motivate you to review. So just… review, and everyone wins. The more reviews, the less time it'll be before the next chapter comes out!**

**Oh. Disclaimer… again. I do not own the Grand Theatre, Tim Horton's or McDonald's. **

**Oh! And what Ryan said about the Grand Theatre being haunted? Its true! It's haunted by a dude named Mr. Small, who went missing the day he sold the theatre. People think he was murdered, but his case has never been solved. Ever.**

**Yes, you can tell I had fun researching the Grand Theatre ;)**


	9. Kingston I

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 9: Kingston I**_

**A/N: **_Ugh, sorry for the long wait for an update. My life has been seriously hectic and I've been in a panic for the past five days. Short story made even shorter, one of my friends might be having a baby._

_For those of you who don't like Ryan… I agree! I mean what kind of a ship name is Rasey? That's sounds like a descriptive word of being racist. Like, "Oh, that persons a little rasey." Heheh, Dasey is soooo much cuter. Being associated with a flower instead of racism is much better ;P_

_Oh, yes, thanks to __ButterflyRae__ for pointing out my mistakes. My mishaps in the last chapter should be fixed now :)_

* * *

"Never thought I'd see the day when Casey McDonald would be the one to break Nora and Dad's punishment," Derek sneered as they hurriedly walked out of the parking lot, three bags of food in Derek's grip, one in Casey's.

"What are you talking about, Derek?"

"Should I quote for you? 'No groping, no kissing, no _nothing _with anyone outside –,"

"Just shut it, Derek," Casey responded limply as she pulled open the driver's door. Derek climbed in behind her and placed the bags of food next to his seat. He clipped his seatbelt across his chest before leaning forward, smirking.

"And, if I'm not mistaken, 'Ryan Sullivan' is not part of our household." Casey glanced up at Derek and stared at his eyes, trying to penetrate them.

"George never said anything about flirting on our way to Charlottetown. He just said no flirting – or kissing, or groping— _in _Charlottetown," Casey replied, turning away from Derek happily and pulling out of the parking lot. She turned onto the highway, glancing at Derek in the rear view mirror.

He seemed at a loss for words, as his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, yet no sound left his lips. Finally, he settled back in his chair, crossed his arms and stared out the window.

Twenty minutes later, the rest of the family had awoken and after eating the food Casey had gotten everyone (turns out Nora wasn't even that angry at her) Nora made Casey pull over and let her drive. George was awakened briefly to eat his share and to climb into the passenger seat, forcing Casey to return to her spot next to Derek.

They had taking up ignoring each other, and all Casey could do was think about the piece of paper that was currently squished in her butt pocket. She smiled a little, remembering Ryan Sullivan's charming qualities. He seemed shy, and nice. And she really wanted to see more of him.

"Mom," Casey began, pushing aside her better judgement and pulling the pamphlet out of her pocket. "Can we stop in Kingston for, maybe, two or three days?" she asked hopefully.

"What?"

"Oh, don't tell me you're actually considering –,"

"Derek, shut up, alright? So, Mom, what do you say?" Casey asked, leaning as far forward as she could, her fingers crunching the pamphlet into her palm.

"Why would you want to do that, Honey?" Nora asked carefully, her eyes flashing to meet Casey's. Her daughter bit down on her lip, before holding the pamphlet out.

"I… um… at Tim Horton's I got this pamphlet for a play at the Grand Theatre and, why Mom," Casey pulled on her fakest smile as she playfully smacked her mother in the arm. "You like plays, don't you? And isn't this whole road trip about family bonding?"

"I really don't think Casey will be bonding with anyone in this family…" Derek mumbled, crossing his arms and looking at the window with a distant expression on his face. Casey ignored him and turned back to her mother.

"I don't know…" Nora sighed. Casey pressed the pamphlet in Nora's hand, smiling pleasantly.

"It'll be fun! The whole family can come! And, come on, how many times do you have the chance to see a play at the _Grand Theatre_?" Casey asked, pressing excitement on her mother. Nora expertly situated from reading the pamphlet to looking at the road, and in a manner of minutes she had flipped through the whole thing.

"So what do you say?"

"Who's Ryan?" Nora replied instead of answering Casey's question. Casey deadpanned, her face falling for a second. She was about to ask how her mother knew about him, when she saw her mother staring at the phone number with 'Ryan' written neatly on top.

"Oh, well I found the pamphlet… on… a… table…?" she said hopefully. Nora made a weird noise in the back of her throat and passed it back to her daughter.

"You sure it's new, then? Like, we won't call and have them tell us the play happened five years ago?" Casey laughed and patted her mom on the shoulder.

"So you're considering it?" Casey asked hopefully. Nora paused and rubbed her temple carefully.

"Nora, don't let Casey pressure you into going to some play –,"

"Alright, alright, I'll see if I can get George to agree to take some time from his 'busy schedule' to squeeze in a quick formal outing." Casey squealed, but Derek smacked his head on his headrest, groaning.

"Yeah, yeah, just ignore me completely, you know?" he growled.

"Oh Derek, some culture will do you well," Casey sighed, smacking him playfully in the stomach. He turned his head slowly to face her, his eyes burning into hers.

"Bite. Me."

It could have been that her ego had been highly fluffed by the fact that they were going to see a play _and _she'd meet up with Ryan Sullivan, or some other supernatural mumbo-jumbo, but before she could even consider a logical response, she faced Derek, lowered her head and winked at him, saying, "Later tonight."

She watched as his jaw fell open, and could've sworn that the car slowed slightly from Nora's shock.

"Casey!" Nora and Derek both exclaimed. Derek's eyebrow perked up to his hairline and his mouth still hung open. Casey reached over and used one finger to clamp his mouth shut, smiling at his response.

"When did you become… like… like…" Casey wanted to laugh at Derek's loss of words, but Nora's verbal response wasn't so entertaining.

"Casey! That… that… that is so _dirty_!"

"Exactly!" Derek chimed in, leaning toward Nora, "I feel like my innocence has been robbed. My fragile little mind has been disturbed by her sexual fantasies." Casey looked at Derek and frowned.

"What innocence?" she retorted, rolling her eyes. "And I do not have sexual fantasies about you!" she added in. When both Derek and Nora spared her a wide-eyed glance, her lower lip wobbled slightly as she added, "… or anyone."

"Alright," Nora sighed, "We're going to pretend this little conversation never happened. I don't want to face the fact that…" she shivered as a finality of her sentence, glancing quickly at the back seats. Edwin and Lizzie were sharing Derek's MP3 player and were oblivious to the conversation, while Marti slept peacefully against the window.

Nora cranked up the radio, and Casey couldn't help but think that her mother was taking her little comment a little too melodramatically. But, her mother had been right previously. Derek was rubbing off on her. Severely.

* * *

Casey had been surprised, if not shocked, at George's response to her proposal. He had not only agreed to it, he had encouraged (or demanded) that every single member of the family attend the play. After checking the dates of the play's performances, they were happy to find out that the play 'Stepchild' was open on every day of the week, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Casey had managed to sneak a phone call to Ryan and explain she was able to go. He told her the day he'd be seeing the play – tomorrow—and she immediately convinced George to reserve tickets for that day.

As soon as they checked into the hotel (George decided to treat them to a five star hotel instead of a dingy motel) George had called in and reserved their tickets. Nora, Marti, Lizzie and Casey had all then set off on a shopping trip to one of Kingston's nearby shopping districts, leaving the boys behind only because they seemed it'd be alright to attend in their summer clothes. They purchased their 'slightly nicer then casual' outfits and their matching accessories before heading back to the hotel. By this time, it was about 1 in the afternoon, and Casey was about to pass out from the exhaustion. She had all but forgotten about the past mornings experience.

Casey plopped her bags down by the doorway and plopped down on her and Lizzie's bed. Of course, they had to share a room with Derek and Edwin again, but she wouldn't let that thought bring her down.

She was in complete ecstasy. Firstly and most importantly, she could see Ryan again. Secondly, she'd see a play, and thirdly… well, she'd see Ryan.

She smiled at herself as her eyes wandered around the room. It was empty, which meant Edwin and Derek must've been downstairs indulging themselves in one of the hotels many activities.

She hopped off the bed and walked over to the bathroom after plucking her brush from her suitcase. She combed her hair carefully, getting all the frustrating tangles out until it shone and fell over her shoulders in a sleek waterfall.

For a long moment, she stared at her reflection, checking for any surprise zits or pimples, and, upon finding none, turned to exit.

Only to find her exit blocked by her eldest stepbrother.

"Looks to me like your getting ready for a date," he said, smirking as he took several steps into the washroom, shutting the door closed behind him with his foot.

"That's stupid."

"Glad we agree on that."

"Look," Casey sighed, watching as Derek leaned against the doorway. She took a seat on the edge of the bathtub, running her fingers over her temple wearily. "Why are you so against Ryan?"

"Because… because… he's British!" Derek exclaimed.

"Hey! I find that offense!" Casey hissed. Derek's head snapped back and his eyes narrowed.

"You're not British," Derek hissed.

"I may not _directly _be, but my last name is 'McDonald', and in case you didn't know, that last name originated in the UK. So… yeah," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Ah, so you two were meant to be?" Derek asked in a baby voice. He rolled his eyes when he finished speaking and put his hands on his hips.

"Maybe," Casey replied stiffly. She stood and reached for the doorknob, but Derek caught her hand and held it, frowning as he met her gaze.

"Look, I don't trust this Ryan guy. He's bad news, I can tell."

"And how can _you _tell?" she asked, perking a brow and placing the hand that wasn't in Derek's grip on her waist.

"… brotherly instinct?" he asked hopefully.

"Derek we're not related," Casey replied sharply, ripping her hand from his grasp and reaching for the doorknob. She successfully managed to grip it and as soon as she was about to give it a tug, she felt Derek's warm hand on her waist. He guided her over to the bathtub and used his other hand to apply pressure to her shoulder, forcing her down onto the tub's edge again.

"I just know he's trouble, just like I knew Scott was trouble. And Max. And Noel's trouble, too."

"Really? What about Sam?" Casey asked, crossing her arms and legs at the same time, staring up at Derek curiously.

"Sam's not trouble. That's why I fought with you over him," he said, frowning. Even Casey could tell he was lying through his teeth about something.

"So you never stopped me from going out with Scott or Max, even with this supposed 'brotherly instinct', because…"

"Because I didn't want to seem like I cared," he replied stiffly. Casey laughed lightly and stood, but immediately regretted her actions. They were standing so close together that every time one of them exhaled, their torsos brushed against each other.

"Thanks for you're… concern… but I can handle myself," she breathed. As she pushed past him, she thought she heard his breathing hitch, but immediately shook the thought away. She ripped open the door and stormed out of the hotel room, searching for a phone both – since she didn't have her cell phone—so she could find solace in the one person who could understand her. Emily.

* * *

It had been hours before she got off the phone with Emily, and she only did so because George and Nora had ushered everyone upstairs for an early bedtime, since all of them barely got enough sleep the night before.

As Casey settled into a sleep next to Lizzie, she was happy still, if not happier, about the coming day. She was absolutely thrilled to see Ryan again, and couldn't wait to explain to Emily all that had happened with him. She could picture it all now. Him being so overly romantic when they would meet during emission. He'd read her poetry in his British accent and he'd kiss her delicately, like those cheesy novels Casey indulged herself into.

These dreams blocked the fact that trying to sleep next to Lizzie was a lot more uncomfortable that she had remembered. For a brief moment, she tried to bring up a reason why. Upon not finding one, she continued with her romantic thoughts until she slipped off into sleep.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**About 1,000 words shorter then my usual chapters. Sorry. This was more of a filler-and-preparer then anything. Next chapter some Dasey will be happ-en-ing. Wooh yeah!**

**Oh, yeah… I bet you're all wondering about Casey's 'dirty' comment. Agh, blame my mentally-challenged friend (who was actually the source of this story coming to be…) she read a LOT of fanfiction where Derek always says the "dirty, suggestive stuff" and wanted me to reverse it and stick it in my story. Well, that's how it turned out.**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be longer, I swear to you all.**

**Oh, and sorry if I may have insulted any British folk. I'm ½ British, too, so technically I'm insulting myself. We're all in the same boat ;)**

**Review, please?**

**-Holds out jar-**

**Reviews for the poor, anyone?!**


	10. Kingston II

**To Charlottetown  
_Chapter 10: Kingston II_**

**A/N: **_Eek! Sorry for the long wait. This chapter would've been out sooner, if I hadn't gone to London for the weekend. Then, first thing Monday morning my French teacher told me I was getting a 30 in her class. Yes, I'm failing French (yet there's some French in the following chapter…). So I've been busy catching up._

_Oh, yeah, my friend (I know you guys are probably annoyed about listening about me go on about my friend. But this is important) asked me what was __**not **__to be expected from this story (romance-wise), and after I answered her I couldn't help but wonder if you guys were wondering the same thing. So here's a list of things that will 98 percent not happen. So, it's like a warning in case you guys wanted it._

_**- Dasey sex scene**__ … so no matter how heated things may get (-Big Wink-) they will never, ever rip off their clothes and go at it like animals. That's just not my style._

_**-**__**Dasey hook-up **__… They will not become a couple in this story. As some of you may know, I shoot for realism, and the way this story is going to end will not leave enough time for them to "get together". However, this does not necessarily mean there will not be a confessional. _

_And… that's about it, at least for now._

* * *

Tonight was the "big night", as Casey liked to call it. Her stomach was churning and her palms were sweating, but that just added to the excitement.She stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled slightly, her lips twitching up in the slightest manor.

She had straightened her hair and pulled it back in a barrette, used the lightest amount of make-up and had put on her new outfit – a red top with a tight bodice that fluttered out about mid-stomach, with black bell-bottom jeans. She had also put on flip-flop heels, with a black outsole and heel while the rest of the shoe's material was a bright, blood red colour.

She had finished preparing herself about ten minutes ago, but that didn't necessarily mean she was leaving the bathroom. She couldn't help but continue staring at herself, making sure every inch of her face and body was perfect for Ryan.

She thought she had locked the door, so she nearly toppled over in fear when it slammed open, revealing a very angry-looking Derek.

He carelessly tossed a hairpin onto the counter of the bathroom – his means of unlocking the door—, and she saw his mouth open up, ready to retort and insult her. It was at that time she let her eyes trail over his outfit and face, hardly realizing he was choking over his words.

He wore a blue flannel shirt with dark jeans and his normal runners, yet something was different about him. Her eyes flashed up to his face, and realized his hair was a little neater then usual.

She almost laughed when she realized he was doing the same eye-over as she had, and at exactly the same time she was, before his eyes flashed up to meet hers.

In that molecule of time, she wanted to say, "you clean up nice", or "you look great" or any other compliment, until he had to open his fat mouth, causing all compliments to die on her tongue.

"Why the hell are you still in here?! Other people have to use the washroom, you know! Edwin had to go to take a whizz outside because of your girly needs!" he exclaimed, pushing past her to lift up the toilet seat lid.

Casey paused, eyeing him with her mouth hanging open. The last time he had done that – as in threatening to pee in front of her—had been so long ago she didn't suspect he'd actually do it.

However, when she heard his zipper lower, she gasped and raced out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. She could hear Derek laughing from inside the washroom, but she was in too much of a good mood to yell at him for such a rude act.

Her eyes finally fell over the rest of her family, and she smiled at how they all looked.

Lizzie caught her attention first. At the protests of both Nora and Casey, she had agreed to buy a blue dress with a ribbon for her hair. She looked incredible, and Casey's chest swelled with pride out how grown-up her sister looked.

Edwin sat beside Casey nervously, fiddling with the bow tie Nora had bought him when they had gone out. He wore a simple button-down white shirt, with dark pants and his normal running shoes. His hair was brushed back out of his face, and Casey smirked at his looks. However simple he looked, he was still handsome.

Marti was next. She wore a purple, glittery shirt with a dark purple jean skirt. Casey was surprised to see the boa wrapped around the girl's neck. She had thought they'd left it at home, but apparently Marti had sneaked it in.

Nora wore a lovely floral dress with matching brown shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a clip, and she wore a thin chocolate brown sweater. George, who nervously stood beside Nora, wore a button-down black shirt with khaki pants. In fact, he was the only one whose outfit didn't impress Casey. Yet again, George didn't have much of a fashion sense.

"Are we ready to go?" Nora asked suddenly, clasping her hands together. Casey smiled, realizing her mother only did that when she was nervous. Everyone seemed to be nervous about attending a play.

"We're just waiting for Der—."

"Lets get out a here!" Derek cheered, sauntering out of the bathroom as he ushered everyone to leave the hotel room. As Casey passed him out the door, their eyes locked, and for a brief second, she seemed to loose herself in his brown eyes. However, his smirk made her snap out of her daydreams as he gave her a push out the door, his hand on the small of her back.

Casey shrugged out of his touch and stomped down the hallway and over to the elevator. She was silent all the way down to the car, and only until she was in her place in the minivan and was passed her ticket did she realize how nervous she was.

She didn't know why she was so nervous. She had been on tonnes of dates before – alright, not tonnes, but still enough so that boys didn't make her nervous anymore. No, her body was acting up for a different reason; she just couldn't exactly decide what.

Kingston at dusk flashed by before Casey's eyes as she stared out the window. She dimly watched the lights flash by as George steered the minivan down different roads, half the time his eyes reading the map on the back of the pamphlet that showed how to get to the Grand Theatre.

And finally, after abut half hour of travelling, she saw it. It wasn't extravagant, and it didn't exactly pop out. In fact, it was a wonder how a George even managed to point it out.

They parked the car and walked into the warm theatre. After all the formalities were said and done, and they had been allowed into the actual seating auditorium to wait for the show to start.

Normally, Casey would've been actively involved in the play, but she was a hormonal teenager, thus her interest was preferred on boys. She hardly paid attention, mainly because she and Ryan were exchanging texts.

"What're you doing?" Derek asked, leaning over to see her phone. Casey glanced up at him, and then snatched her phone away from his view.

"I'm texting Ryan," she replied simply. When Derek didn't press her, Casey excitedly showed the phone to Derek. "Look, he says he's going to cough and we're going to see if I can hear him." Derek rolled his eyes and turned away from Casey, plopping his head in his hand limply.

Seconds later, someone in the audience started hacking and Casey smiled, texting Ryan back hurriedly. Her reactions had piqued Derek's interest, so he leaned back over and saw that she was in the middle of gushing at how she had heard him.

He cleared his throat loudly, than called out, "Ryan you suck!"

It turned out to be a little loud, and several people around him shushed him, but all the same he had annoyed Casey, which was a mission accomplished in his eyes.

Casey, in turn, started texting Ryan about how the "idiot beside her" had said that. And until intermission, that's how it went. Just texting each other and trying to guess where the other sat and how close they were sitting.

As soon as the curtain close, Casey rose from her seat and tried hurrying away, but someone grabbed her arm and shoved her back down into her chair.

"Where are you going? This is supposed to be a family night, you know," Derek snarled. "You dragged us all into this, and now you're just going to bail to go talk to Pansy Boy?"

"No, I'm going to go get a snack," Casey replied, swatting his arm. She went to stand up, but Derek grabbed her arm again and stood up behind her.

"You know, I think I'm going to grab a snack, too. Won't that be so much _fun_?" he hissed in her ear. Casey shivered and turned away from him, walking out towards the lobby.

"I still stick to my original story: you're jealous," she replied. Derek laughed sharply when they reached the lobby, and stepped ahead so he faced her.

"Why would I be jealous if you and that British Crumpet get together?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Casey looked into his eyes, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"I never meant it like that. I meant, you're jealous I have someone who's interested in me," she replied. Derek swallowed and his upright position fell slightly.

"Oh, yeah, of course… I knew that."

"Right, now step aside and go get a bag of Nachos or something," she replied, pushing him aside so she could make her way over to the coffee machine. That was where she and Ryan had agreed on meeting, and with each second that wore on, her nerves grew.

"Casey!"

"Finally," she sighed, turning and facing Ryan Sullivan. She smiled wildly at him as he jogged towards her, throwing his arms around her waist.

"It's nice to see you again!" he gasped, giving her a squeeze. Casey choked as all air left her lungs, desperately pushing at Ryan's chest to get him away so she could breathe again.

"Yeah… nice to see you too," she replied breathlessly. Ryan smirked and leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"It's felt like _years_! Don't you agree?" Ryan asked, poking Casey's arm delicately.

"Not really, but –,"

"And you look so gorgeous! If you were chocolate, I would just eat you up," he cooed. Casey froze; her smile remaining in place as Ryan threw his arms around her again, squeezing her a little less dramatically.

"Yeah… umm… you – Oh my God! What is that _smell_?" Casey hollered, jumping out of Ryan's arm. A horrid, putrid smell was coming from him. It was absolutely horrifying – the kind of smell that made your eyes water and made you want to upchuck until you fainted.

"You like?" Ryan asked, smirking. "I got it in France last Christmas. _Odeur d'Amour Frais._ _Très_ expensive. I thought it was absolutely perfect for the occasion."

"What occasion?" Casey asked, frowning. "I hope you didn't get all dressed up for our simple little –,"

"Well, I _was _going to ask you to be my girlfriend. But then I thought, 'Damn. She already has a boyfriend.' So I thought if I wore an expensive perfume, you'd dump that guy you've already got and hook—,"

"Uh… Ryan," Casey sighed, looking him in the eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

"Wrong? With me? Nothings wrong!" Ryan laughed.

"Why are you acting so strange?" Casey whispered, lowering her eyes to the ground. Ryan clamped a hand under her chin, and Casey had the hugest urge to pull away.

"I'm not acting strange. I'm acting _in love_!" he cried, trying to pull her back into his chest, but she pulled away as soon as she smelt a whiff of that stupid cologne.

"Ryan! We're not a couple! We're not in love! We're not even friends! You're really rushing into things," Casey yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Ryan sucked in a deep breath, meeting Casey's gaze carefully.

"But I love you. I thought what we had was special…"

"We don't have anything!" Casey crossed her arms and looked away. She was getting more and more annoyed by the second. Ryan leaned toward her and put his hands on her arm.

"Are you alright, Casey?" he asked. Only, when Casey looked up, it hadn't been Ryan who had said that.

She was surprised to see Derek standing there, his eyes wide and knowing. She took a second to think things over, before laughing and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Everything's fine… Der… Der-bear," she stuttered. Derek's brow crinkled slightly, but she only stepped in front of Ryan and mouthed 'Help Me'.

Derek cocked his eyebrow in a way that said 'You Owe Me', before reached around Casey and pulled her into his side, her face muffled into his shoulder.

"Hey! It's Ryan, right?" Derek asked. Ryan sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

"Great. Well look, my… uh… _girlfriend_ here is kind of freaked out with you. She's in a perfectly happy relationship and won't be needing your services anymore."

"You sure? I mean, dude, you're fine and all but –,"

"Yeah, that was my polite way of saying, 'leave us the hell alone.' Alright, Ryan buddy?" Derek cocked an eyebrow, but Ryan had a determined look on his face as he crossed his arms.

"I think Casey can speak up for herself." Casey wanted to nod in agreement as she resisted Derek's arm and pulled herself off of him, but Derek only wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him so her face was shoved in his neck.

"Well, she doesn't have to. We're just _so happy_, and… you know…" Derek's voice trailed off.

"And, 'I know' what?" Ryan pressed. Derek sighed and shifted his foot. Casey tried pulling away again, but one of his hands pushed her back down.

"You know… we're… in love and stuff, and… just back off. Alright? She doesn't want you. And who are you to come between us? You've know her for what, three minutes? All you know about her is that she goes to Tim Hortons."

Derek and Ryan continued fighting, but in Casey's mind, she had lost track of the conversation as soon as Derek had said they were in love. As soon as he said that, she had wanted to push him away and explain everything, but she quickly reminded herself that this was the only way to get Ryan away.

Ryan. She hadn't expected him to be so clingy. Why had he seemed normal in Tim Hortons? Why did have such a horrible judge in character? And why was Derek helping her, after she had just blown him off and yelled in his face?

Instead of thinking of the hell Derek would put her through, she inhaled Derek's sweet smelling cologne, and focussed on how incredibly nice he smelt, compared to Ryan's stupid perfume.

It seemed like hours before intermission was declared over, and Ryan stormed away in a fuss. Derek had jerked himself away from Casey, staring intently into her eyes.

"Thanks."

"And…? You have to say, 'I'm sorry Derek for disbelieving you when you said Ryan was a complete freak.'"

Casey laughed at Derek's imitations of her own voice, and rolled her eyes while saying, "I'm sorry, Derek, for disbelieving you when you said Ryan was a complete freak."

Derek smiled and smacked her arm playfully.

"There, much better, right?"

"Wait…" Casey paused and fixed him with a curious gaze, frowning. "You're not going to do anything else? You're not going to say I have to repay you? That's awfully sweet –,"

"Hey, hey hey! I never said you wouldn't be repaying me. Casey," he sighed, shaking his head at her stupidity, "Honestly, I thought you knew me better then that!"

"A girl can dream, can't she?" Casey inhaled quickly, then met Derek's gaze. "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

"Not blab on Nora and Dad," Derek replied simply. Casey cocked her head to the side curiously, and Derek just smirked again, explaining she'd know what he meant in due time. It was then that Casey realized intermission was over, and they had been standing there for a food five minutes.

The two of them raced back to the doors that led to the play, only to see the doors had been closed.

"Hey, can you let us in, please?" Casey asked the uniformed man. He just looked at her with a ridiculous expression on his face. He pointed to a sign with his gloved hand.

"No admittance after the doors close."

"But we're only five minutes late!" Derek yelled. The man just shrugged carelessly.

"It's my job, and I intent to enforce it. It's not my fault you two were probably making out somewhere and didn't make it back in time."

"We're stepsiblings!" Casey yelled. The uniformed man shrugged again.

"That doesn't stop it from happening." Uncomfortable silence filled the air between the man and the teenagers as his words sunk in, before Derek inhaled sharply.

"So what do we do, Case?" he asked. Casey looked over to him and rubbed her temple, trying to calm her nerves.

"I don't know. Let's wait in the lobby," she replied.

The uniformed man wagged his finger at her. "No can do, ma'am. The lobby ain't some hang out graound for teenagers. You're going to have to wait outside."

"But our family's in there!" Casey shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"You shoulda thought 'bout that before you were late," the man replied, smirking dangerously at the two.

Casey groaned and stomped away, Derek following close behind her. When they stopped outside the Grand Theatre, she spun on her heel, her eyes light and alive.

"Well, where do you want to go?"

"Uh… we're walking somewhere?" Derek asked. Casey waved her arm as she laughed, before patting Derek's arm like he had told a good joke.

"Of course not! Let's steal the car and go somewhere."

Derek nearly choked on his saliva when she said that.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Again, I truly am sorry for the long wait! And this chapter was crap compared to how I was **_**going **_**to write it. You can tell I rushed through, mainly because I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. I didn't think I'd get stumped on this chapter, but I did, and that's part of the reason why it never came out sooner.**

**Anyway. So, I heard your plea, ****My Name Is R.C****, and I did not make Ryan a jerk – I made him an idiot. Besides, idiots are always fun. And I took ****yumified****'s idea about Derek being the "knight in shining armour" and viola! Ze outcome is what it is.**

**Anyway, I've said enough already.**

**I'll **_**try**_** and get the next chapter out soon. But I really need to get my French grade up, so it may be a while (Like, from 3 – 7 days) before the next chapter comes out.**

**-Pulls out pompoms- **

**So everybody: 'R' to the 'E' to the 'V' to the 'I' to the 'E' to the 'W'. What does that spell?! REVIEW!**


	11. Kingston III

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 11: Kingston III**_

A/N: _Sorry, sorry, and sorry for taking long on this chapter!! There's actually no excuse for my lack of update. I… I went through a Dasey withdrawal._

_Now, before ya'll go throwing rotten vegetables and chairs, it took a 3 hour-long rant to my sister, and the viewing of "Driving Lessons" and BAM it was back on, so I'm still obsessed as ever with it :)_

_And I just wanted to thank everyone who wished me well in French. Aww, you guys rock!_

* * *

Derek stared at Casey for a long time; there gazes never wandering, with a look of knowing ridicule plastered on his face. Casey finally laughed nervously, and pulled the keys out of her back pocket.

"Okay, so we're not _technically _stealing the car, since Mom and George gave me the keys. I just thought I'd try out my _dangerous _slang," Casey said, cocking an eyebrow and nodding her head twice.

Derek's eyebrows perked up and he smirked at her pathetic-ness.

"Casey," he sighed, putting his hands on her shoulders, "You will never be _dangerous_. Ever. Now give me the keys."

"Nice try," Casey laughed, shifting away from Derek as she began walking towards the parking lot, holding her left arm that held the key out ahead of her. "You're not driving this thing even if I have–." She stopped when she felt his arm slide around her waist and his warmth press against her back. She stopped walking when she felt his breath on the back of her neck, and nearly stopped breathing when his hand, which had been gripping her shoulder, started sliding down her arm.

"What're you—,"

"Aha!" he yelled when he managed to snatch the keys from Casey's hand. He pulled back and danced victoriously around her in circles, waving the key in front of her face like he was trying to entertain a two-year old.

"Who's the man?" he asked to no one in particular. "Oh yeah, I am."

"Just shut-up. You're such a…" her voice trailed off when she couldn't pick a particular insult, before she groaned frustratingly and quickened her pace.

"I'm a what? A brilliant schemer? Why yes, yes I am. Thank you for noticing that, Casey."

Casey sucked in a deep breath and continued walking. Sure, she could've tried stealing back the keys, but there was always more fun and less work in sulking. She continued listening to him rant and rant about how great he was. He even asked a couple of passer-byes who "was the man." Finally, after a moment, he appeared at her side and elbowed her lightly.

"Aw, c'mon Case. You're no fun when you're like this."

"When I'm like what?" she snapped in return. He sucked in a deep breath.

"Alright, if you're going to be a total cow then you're not coming."

"This was my idea!"

"And it was also your fault for getting us kicked out of the theatre!" Derek snapped back. They both stopped when they got to the car and faced each other with crossed arms.

"It was not."

"Yes, because you were too stupid to listen to me and realize this Ryan Sullivan was a bad guy!"

She reached out and shoved him against the car, surprising both of them.

"_Don't_," she warned, in a much tinier voice then she had intended. She cleared her throat and tugged at the hem of her shirt. "Besides, if you didn't take so long convincing me that I need to repay you, we would've gotten inside."

Derek sidled himself up against the car and put his hands on his hips, staring at Casey incredulously. Casey countered back his look with one of her own, cocking and eyebrow as she stared at him with her mouth open.

"You know what I think?" she asked after a moment. "I think that this whole argument is stupid. Just unlock the car and let's get out of here."

Surprisingly, he did just that. He unlocked the car and they both climbed in. Derek silently started the car, and they drove on in silence. Casey knew Derek didn't know his way around Kingston, so it wasn't much of a surprise when thirty minutes later they drove by a sign that said, 'You Are Now Leaving Kingston' out in the middle of no where.

"Derek," Casey sighed, turning her head to face him. "Turn around. And," she caught sight of the speedometer and gasped. "Slow down! Derek we're going to –,"

He groaned and clicked on the radio, turning it higher the necessary to drown out her talking. Casey rolled her eyes and reached over, shutting it off.

"No, listen, Derek. Slow the hell down and turn around! You don't know where you're going! You should –," she was interrupted again when he turned the radio on once more, 'Before He Cheats' blasting through the speakers. Casey yelped out frustratingly and slammed her finger down on the radio button.

"Derek, why are you acting like a child?"

"I just don't want to listen to your nagging!" he sighed. Casey glanced at him and saw the small smile in the corner of his mouth. He found her frustration entertaining. This was all a joke to him.

For some reason, this only made Casey angrier.

"I'm calling Ryan and telling him to tell Mom you're abducting me," Casey said, pulling her cell phone out. She managed to dial the first four numbers of his number before Derek yanked the phone from her grip.

"That won't be necessary," Derek sighed, his eyes flashing from the road to the screen of Casey's phone so he could delete the number. Casey sighed again, watching as the small road they travelled on turned into a two-lane road, with no barrier between.

She heard something clatter, and glanced just in time to see Derek drop her cell phone. She rolled her eyes and stared out the windshield, letting her vision get fuzzy as her thoughts wandered.

If Casey had woken up that morning, and someone had told her she'd end up relying on Derek to save her from Ryan, then they'd run off together, leaving their family vehicle-less in Kingston, she would have laughed and deemed that person crazy. She would have –

Casey blinked when a flash pained her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, letting the fuzzy images become clear, until…

_Honk!_

Casey's eyes settled on the light ahead of them, and realized that it was a truck's headlights. She glanced at Derek to see he was still leaning down, trying to pick up her cell phone, oblivious to the danger he had put them in.

"Derek!" she screamed, reaching for the steering wheel. She yanked it towards her body, and the minivan spun in that direction, out of the way of the truck.

She couldn't really remember the details of what happened next. The car bounced a lot causing her head crack against the side window and her stomach to plummet when the minivan hurtled forward, down a steep slope.

Finally, when the car came to a complete stop, she stopped and wiggled her toes. Everything on her body was pain-free, and it was then when she realized her fingers were digging into the dashboard.

She whipped her hands away and looked over to Derek. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white, and his eyes were wide and unseeing.

"Derek?" She reached out and put her hand on his arm, shaking it gently.

"Uh…u-huh." he choked out, his voice squeaking.

"Does anything hurt?"

"Other then my ego after realizing a chick had to save me from death?" he murmured.

"Glad to see you're still the same old Derek," Casey retorted, peeling her eyes away to stare out the window. She saw trees, and darkness. She whipped her head around to look out Derek's window, only to see a steep hill.

"We fell down the ditch," she announced, more to herself then to anyone. She reached out to turn on the radio, but nothing came out.

"Battery's dead," Derek whispered, finally peeling his eyes away to stare at Casey. She met his gaze and held it, her eyes growing round.

"What does that mean?"

"Car doesn't work," he said simply. Casey let out a deep breath, leaning back against her seat.

"Well, my cell works. We can call Mom and tell her what happened," Casey explained.

"What good will that do?" Derek snapped, his eyes returning to stare out the window. "We need a tow."

"Well, we don't know the number for the tow out here. I'll call Mom and tell her what happened," Casey replied, picking her phone up off the floor. She paused, than sighed heavily.

"Mom doesn't have her cell phone," she sighed, slamming her head against her headrest.

"Now what?" Derek asked.

Silence filled the car, and both teenagers sat in comfortable silence for a moment, before Casey started shaking.

Derek glared at her, at first thinking she was crying until he saw the smile on her face,

"What's so funny?"

"We're going to be in so much trouble," Casey laughed, wiping at her eyes. "We're better off dead, you know." She stopped and gasped, before going into another round of giggling.

"Oh my God, she's gone insane," Derek stated. Casey laughed even harder, gripping at her stomach as she pinched her eyes shut.

After five minutes of laughter, Casey abruptly stopped with a long breath of air. She stared out the windshield for a long moment, before turning her body to face Derek.

"Okay, I've got a plan."

"Laughing makes you think?" Derek asked snottily, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but it helps," she said simply. She raised an eyebrow and leaned toward him, holding her hands out as if she was explaining a big, devious plan.

"I'll call Ryan and tell him to tell my Mom to get her cell phone and to call me when she gets it. Then, when she calls, we tell her what happened, she looks up the number for a tow truck – since she can't get out here—the tow comes, brings us to a mechanics address, we tell her the address, they take a bus over to the mechanic shop, they pay, we get yelled at and we all live happily ever after – once the car's fixed, that is."

Derek stared at her for a long moment, his face expressionless, before he finally let out a long breath.

"There are so many faults in that plan. What happens if Ryan can't find Dad or Nora?"

"Derek, Derek, you're too much of pessimist. Just put faith in me, alright?" she asked happily as she started dialing Ryan's number. Derek watched her face, and for a long moment she looked thoughtful, until she hung the phone up angrily and threw it into the backseat.

"What happened?"

"Either his phone's off or its dead."

"Oh, it better be off," Derek said in a dangerous tone. "I won't be able to handle sitting here with you until someone helps us out."

"We could always get out and go looking for the mechanics," Casey asked. It was silent for a moment, before they both said, "Not after last time."

Casey flipped open her phone and looked at the time. It was 8:30. They had approximately half an hour before they could try calling Ryan again.

"So…" Derek stated, strumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "Seen any good movies lately?"

* * *

"… Oh! I have one! Remember that time when we got grounded and we snuck out?!" Casey asked excitedly.

"You mean _I _snuck out!" Derek laughed, picking up another piece of liquorice. They had found the bag in the door compartment near Derek's seat, and it had been sitting there since Kitchener. It may have been a little stale, but it still made them hyper on sugar, no less.

"As I remember, you never made it out of the garage." Casey glanced over at Derek, smiling.

"Because you crashed the car," she stated. Derek's head shot up, and seriousness flooded their features when they realized how similar the situation was with this one.

Casey made a 'pffft' noise before she burst out laughing, waving her liquorice around in the air. Derek joined in as he stretched his legs out on the dashboard, clutching his stomach from all the laughing they had done.

"Now _that _was fun!" Casey laughed, flicking her hand forward. The liquorice slipped out of her fingers and slapped against Derek's window, sticking to the glass.

She pointed a finger at the liquorice and started laughing even harder.

"It's … It's sticking to the glass!" she gasped, settling back against her own window. Derek joined in.

"Why is that funny?" he asked through his laughter. Casey shrugged as she tucked her shoeless feet – they had discarded their shoes into the backseat quite a while ago— under her butt.

"I don't know!" she gasped out, leaning forward to take liquorice from the bag. Derek reached forward at the same time and they both grabbed the same one.

Casey tugged first and Derek lurched forward at her actions. She reached out a foot and shoved at his stomach. He shifted himself so he wasn't facing the dashboard, but was facing her instead.

"It's mine!" she yelled.

"No, it's mine!" Neither even considered getting a different one from the bag as they struggled back and forth with it.

Finally, Derek gave on last tug that sent Casey reeled forward. She lost her grip on the liquorice and fell face-first into Derek chest.

"Ha-ha! I win again, McDonald!" he cheered. Casey sat up quickly, staring down as Derek as he took a glorious bite from it.

"I hope you enjoy that," she spat out.

"Mmm, yes, I'll savour every bite." Casey paused for a moment, before she reached out at lightning speed and ripped the candy from his hand. Before he could react she bit a piece of and chewed it purposely in his face.

She was surprised to see he didn't snap a bitter remark, but instead smiled up at her. It wasn't one of his smirks – it was a genuine smile that made his eyes brighten up, even if by a little bit.

"Are you comfortable where you are?" he asked. Casey glanced down quickly, and immediately a blush heated her cheeks, seeing as she was straddling his waist.

"Ah… actually, yes, I am," she stated simply, shifting back so she wasn't actually straddling his _you-know_, but his legs instead.

Derek leaned up, all seriousness in his face evident on his features. He never broke eye contact with her as his hand reached up and encircled hers. Casey couldn't keep his eye contact – she broke away and stared at their hands.

His fingers weaseled their way into her grip, and she immediately realized he was trying to get the liquorice.

"Nice try," she said, smirking at him as she hurried back into her own seat. "But this liquorice is mine."

He shrugged and ripped the one stuck to the window off and bit into it.

"Eww!" Casey cried, laughing despite her disgust. Derek smiled at her, just as something started ringing.

"What is that?" she asked. It was so low that it couldn't really be heard.

"It's… Casey, it's the aliens – they're talking to me," Derek stated. Casey smirked and reached out to kick him in the gut.

She paused. "Wait! It's my cell phone!" she cried. She threw herself into the backseat and scrambled to look for where she had thrown her cell.

Finally, she found it. When she ripped open the cell and put it to her ear, she nearly wanted to cry when she heard the dead dial tone, signalling that whoever had called, had obviously hung open.

Her fingers were shaking as she tried getting onto her call history page, but she almost immediately got a text message.

'_Where R U? UR mum came and found me. Thought UR with me. Ur sis saw us together.'_

"It's Ryan!" Casey cried disbelief and relief filling her voice. She hurriedly hit reply and typed back.

'_Can my mum use UR cell? Tell her 2 call me. Derek and I took car. We're on the country road outside the city.' _Just as the text message went through, the cell phone's screen went black.

"No!" Casey yelled, scrambling back into the front seat. "My cell died!"

"Did you at least manage to send word of where we are?" Derek asked through a mouthful of liquorice.

"Yeah, but…" Casey stopped when Derek's hand grabbed her own. He squeezed it once, before dropping it.

"Then they'll find us. Don't worry."

"O-Okay…" Casey let herself find comfort in Derek's confidence, and fell silent as she stared out the window.

For a long time, they sat there in comfortable silence, the package of liquorice forgotten between them.

"Truth or dare," was the first thing Derek said. Casey's head snapped up and she stared at Derek in disbelief.

"What?"

"Truth. Or. Dare," he repeated, his tone of voice implying it may have been the simplest statement in all of history.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. We've played tag in the rain, I don't see why we can't play truth or dare in a dead car," Derek replied. Casey smiled at the memory of them in Toronto, before nodding her head.

"Truth."

"Alright: Throughout this whole stupid road trip, when you're with me, do you have the most fun?" he asked. Casey raised an eyebrow at his question, blinking repeatedly. She wanted to lie to him, but for some reason – it may have been the look on his face or that lying just wasn't her thing—she decided to tell the truth.

"Yes, that's true." Derek smirked at her, picking up a liquorice and chewing thoughtfully.

"You're turn."

"Okay, truth or dare?" she asked.

For a long time it went on like that. They'd dare each other to either do stupid things, or ask each other the most ridiculous things, like:

"Are you still a virgin?" or, "What was your most embarrassing Halloween costume?" or, "What's your happiest memory?"

For nearly an hour they continued, until Derek picked dare. Now, it may have been that Casey had one too many liquorices, or that she had run out of dares Derek could do in the car, but she decided to pick something really testing of how far Derek would go.

"I dare you to moon the next car that drives by," she stated simply.

"What?" Derek asked, nearly choking on his piece of liquorice. Casey nodded her head.

"Moon the next car that comes by." For a second he stared at her, before he began putting on his shoes.

"What, you're actually going to do it?"

"It's a dare, isn't it?" he replied, opening his car door. Casey followed after him, stumbling in the darkness as they both climbed up the ditch and stood in the middle of the road.

"Wow, you're actually going to do it," Casey stated when a flash of headlights was seen coming around the corner. She could see Derek reaching for the zipper on his jeans, and Casey shut her eyes – Derek's butt was something she didn't want to meet face-to-face.

With her eyes closed, she heard the car halt with a screech. She heard the car door open, and she heard footsteps. For a moment she thought the person who was driving was going to beat Derek up, until she heard, "Casey?!"

"Ryan?" Casey yelped, ripping open her eyes. Her eyes took in the other two figures standing next to Ryan. One – a blond woman—she didn't recognize, but the other was –

"Mom?!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Eh, not much to say.**

**Did you like the lotsa-Dasey touching?**

**And how many of you honestly thought Ryan would be coming back this chapter?**

**Anyway… No, Derek did not actually moon Ryan, Ryan's Mom and Nora. He only got far enough as zipping down his pants.**

**I hope Casey and Derek didn't seem to OOC while they were eating liquorice!**

**Review, please! And tell me how much you hate me for not updating sooner!!**


	12. Kingston IV

To **Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 12: Kingston IV**_

**A/N: **_You guys are so persistent when it comes to Derek and Casey becoming a couple! Alright, I'll __**consider **__changing my mind – but I'm not promising anything. Right now, I'm formulating the end of this story, and there __**may**__ be room for a little somethin'-somethin'… maybe. _

_And I can't believe that 12 chapters in and we're __**FINALLY **__leaving Ontario. At this rate, this story will never finish – We've got 2 more provinces to go until we reach the Confederation Bridge._

_And can I say __**WOW?! **__– You guys are absolutely amazing. Almost 200 reviews! Just… whew, you guys are really too much. Could I ask for better reviewers? Nay, nay I could not._

_Okay, enough rambling about how great you all are._

* * *

For a long time Nora stood, staring at her daughter and stepson. Ryan's mother was smart – she had ushered herself and her son into the car, to wait out until after Nora exploded, so it was only the three of them standing there.

And as Casey waited for the inevitable lecture-session, she took in her mother's appearance. She looked frazzled, dazed, scared and pale. Immediately a pang of guilt settled in Casey's stomach. What had her mother been through, while she was having the time of her life with Derek?

She felt her bottom lip tremble – this was all her fault. _She _had been the one to force the whole family to the Grand Theatre, _she _had been the one who got herself kicked out, _she _had been the one who had first thought of the idea for them to steal the car and go somewhere.

She paused when her eyes turned misty from the unshed tears. What kind of monster had she turned into? She was turning Nora and George's idea of a relaxing summer into a stressful 'run-after-the-kids' trip. She wouldn't be surprised if they ended up in the hospital by September, from heart attacks. She would –

"Derek, zip up your pants." Well, that wasn't exactly the outburst she had been expecting. Casey's tears vanished, and she took a faltering step forward.

"Mom, I am _so _sorry –," Nora raised her hand to stop her daughter, and for a fleeting moment she thought she was forgiven, until Nora shook her head, lifting her hand limply to gesture to the minivan in the ditch.

"Casey, I never thought I'd say this – but when are you going to grow-up?" she asked. Her voice was so low that it scared Casey. She had never heard her mother talk to her like this before.

Something formed in her throat, and what her mother had said was worse then a bullet to the heart. She needed to change. She needed to become more responsible. She needed –

Casey lowered her head, the tears returning. What had _happened_ to her? She was becoming Derek-ified. She was turning into an absolute nightmare.

A tear slipped from her eye and slid down her cheek. She sniffed in what she hoped was an inconspicuous manner.

"What about me? I was part of this too, you know," A voice said. Casey's head snapped up. The voice – it sounded like Derek, and it came from Derek's mouth… but it wasn't Derek's personality. He couldn't purposely be asking for a lecture, could he?

"Oh yes, I assume you were part of this plan, but if Casey had her head in the right place, she would have easily refused. My daughter is responsible, my daughter knows right from wrong. Ever since this 'vacation' started, I don't know who that girl is. This," Casey glanced to see her mom was gesturing wildly at her daughter's form, "Is not my daughter."

She flinched, looking away as her teeth began gnawing on her bottom lip. Another tear fell, and she heard Derek's sharp intake of breath.

"Why won't you let her live a little?" he asked. His voice was so quiet and completely un-Derek like, she couldn't be sure her mother even heard him.

"Let her live a little?" Nora repeated, a frazzled expression crossing her features. "If crashing the car – the _only _car – is 'living a little' to you, Derek, I…" her voice trailed off, leaving room for them to fill it in.

"It's not crashed," Casey said, speaking up. "Derek said the battery was dead. Its fine, we just need to bring it to the mechanics." She glanced up long enough to see Nora swallow purposely.

"Who was driving?"

"What?"

"Who was driving?!" Nora repeated, loud enough for it to echo off the trees in the countryside road. Silence fell on both the teens just long enough for Casey to ponder if Derek was going to confess his 'sin'. She wasn't going to rat him out, since she had as much to do with this 'problem' as he did, but she could see Nora's angry face crossing onto her features.

"I was." She looked up at him, staring at his nose so he couldn't meet her eyes. Her eyebrows perked up at how easily he confessed.

"So I'm assuming it was your idea to steal the car, too, hmm?" Nora asked, meeting Derek's eyes carefully. Casey tore her gaze away from Derek to stare at her mother.

"I was –,"

"Yup. It was me. All me." Casey couldn't stop her mouth from falling open in shock, but she quickly shut it when Derek nudged her.

Nora nodded her head expectantly. "Derek, you're not getting an allowance until November. Understood? You will not drive for the remainder of this vacation."

Casey turned to stare at Derek. Why was he taking the fall for all of this? This was not like him at all, and Casey was determined to know what was up.

She could see he wanted to retort something, but decided against it at the last moment. Nora limply gestured to the vehicle, signalling they should get in. Casey climbed in the backseat of Ryan's Mom's little Honda, squeezing in next to Derek and Nora.

They drove on in silence for a long time. Ryan's Mom – Patricia – was being a good sport about everything. She and Nora struck up a good conversation about whatever, and Ryan took into ignoring Casey's existence.

Patricia dropped them off at their hotel, and Casey waited while Nora said her goodbyes to the Sullivan family before turning on Casey, her eyes flaming.

"We're going to discuss this further tomorrow. Especially the whole 'Ryan Sullivan' part of it," Nora warned. When they walked into the lobby, she made Derek and Casey wait by her side while she got the number of the mechanics from the phonebook. Then she escorted them all the way to their room. She even took the hotel room key so they wouldn't be able to get into anymore "shenanigans" that night, as she had put it.

Finally, when Casey was able to collapse on one of the beds in her pyjamas, she relaxed, and let the events of the past day escape her mind while she watched TV.

She was in the middle of watching some extremely cheesy soap opera when Derek walked out of the bathroom after having a shower. While he had been in there, she had formed a million and one ways how to strike up The Conversation between herself and Derek. However, when she actually saw him, she couldn't help but get straight to the point.

"Why'd you do it?" she blurted. Derek paused, with a towel over his shoulder and a toothbrush in his hand, to stare at her.

"Do… what? Take a shower?"

"No, take the fall for everything," Casey replied. A moment passed, and for a second Derek took on an expression as if he wanted to run far away from the situation. Instead, he threw his towel and toothbrush on the bed he shared with Edwin, and sat down on the edge of hers.

He let out a breath of air. Several times he opened his mouth to try speaking, until finally he blurted something out breathlessly.

"You looked… hurt."

"Hurt?" Casey questioned, squinting at Derek. He closed his eyes briefly, and Casey almost wanted to smile at how much she was strangling him with this 'conversation'.

"Like… I don't know… I did something nice though; do you really have to question it?"

"Yes. You did something nice – that's exactly the reason why I'm questioning it."

"I don't know why I did it. The way Nora was just _yelling _at you, and I could see how much pain you were in, and… I felt…," paused and fixed his gaze on Casey's face.

"Yes?"

"I felt… like I should do something. Besides, I'm always disappointing my dad, it's nothing new, and so if I took the fall they wouldn't question us."

"Us," Casey repeated, a shiver running up her spine. The way he said 'us' made it seem like they were in a secret love relationship – which was scary—yet at the same time, she loved how he referred to them as an 'us'. It felt so belonging.

But then again, 'us' stood for the unconscious changes they had gone through. Something had happened between them, something that had improved their point of view of the other… and it was frightening.

"Derek, don't you think we're becoming too…" she paused to think of a word, "Chummy?"

"Chummy?" It was Derek's turn to repeat.

"Yeah. I don't know about you, but at the rate our, umm... 'Chumminess' is going; I can practically consider you a friend."

"Yeah…" Derek agreed, his eyes darting away from hers.

"So I think we need to stop spending so much time together," she concluded. "I admit," She began, rising from the bed, "That you're the only person I've actually had fun with on this trip, but we need to end it. The more time we spend together, the more Mom and George get suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?" Derek asked, looking up at Casey. She shrugged.

"I don't know – but you know how they jump to conclusions. They'll think of something."

"So…" Derek got to his feet and crossed his arms as he met Casey's gaze. "This is it?"

"Yeah… it's the end." They both stood there, awkwardly waiting for it to feel like 'the end', but in truth, nothing was changing.

Finally, Derek held out his hand and Casey took it warmly.

"It's been a nice Chum-ship with you," he said.

"Yes, it has," Casey agreed, smiling warmly at him. The door swung open and in walked Lizzie and Edwin. Their sibling's appearance seemed to be the token of finality, as they both dropped the other's hand like it was burning hot.

* * *

As promised, Derek and Casey didn't spend any alone time together while the family awaited the repair of their car in the hotel. Casey spent her time with Lizzie, either playing card games or just talking. And yet no matter how hard she tried to ignore 'him', she couldn't help but think that 'he' had been much more fun.

Derek rotated between spending time with Edwin and spending time with Marti. Sadly, neither of them challenged him. They both rolled over for his every command, and after a couple of hours he was already bored out of his mind.

Neither of them admitted this, of course.

Nora had given Casey a long talking to about Ryan Sullivan, and after countless times of Casey promising 'it would never happen again', Nora had forgiven her daughter.

And, at approximately 4:00 PM, the minivan was repaired and they were all on the 401 by 5.

George had declared there was to be no more sidetracking – they were going to drive nonstop until they got to Montreal, Quebec.

So, for the longest time, Casey had forgotten about the ending of her and Derek's Chum-ship. She played little car games with Lizzie, read more of her book and fell asleep.

Only to be awoken a few hours later.

She was still in her half awake, half-asleep grogginess, so she didn't bother to try and move from the comfortable position. At one glance out the window, she could see it was dark, which meant it was past 9:00 at night.

"Is everyone asleep?" Casey wanted to lift her head up at George's hushed voice, but found she was still too groggy to do so.

"Yeah," Nora's voice replied. Silence filled the car, and Casey listened to the whir of the engine in the car working, until George broke it again.

"So… Casey and Derek…"

"Aren't they supposed to hate each other!?" Nora exclaimed. Casey peeled open one eye and saw her mother smack the steering wheel with her palm.

"What's wrong? At least they're getting along."

"But – and no offense, Georgie—Derek's rubbing off on Casey. What happened to my respectful daughter? Casey used to be so mature… A month ago, she never would have pulled that stunt she did with Derek. She never would have even gotten in the car with him." George put a hand on Nora's shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"Nora, it's alright. So what, they're bonding. Haven't you noticed that Casey's been rubbing off on Derek, too?"

"But at least Casey's a positive influence!" Nora exclaimed again. She glanced at her husband, "No offense."

"It's alright. But why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"I don't know. It just seems odd. I think we should get to Charlottetown as soon as possible. Maybe Casey will return to her old self once we're no confined to hotels and cars anymore."

"Alright," George replied, he leaned over and kissed Nora on the cheek quickly. "But I still don't see what's wrong with them finally getting along. Don't you think it's about time?"

Casey pinched her eyes shut. So everyone was worried about how 'close' they were getting. She had to change that. Her mother was right – She was letting Derek's attitude rub off on her too much. She needed to change as soon as possible.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**This is the shortest chapter ever! It's a filler, and a build-up for the next chapters. Now, I know that Casey and Derek weren't THAT close, but they were close enough to be deemed 'out of the ordinary'… hopefully.**

**Anyway, you all know Casey can't kick Derek out of her life for long, right? Oh yeah, in no time they'll be back together. Don't worry :)**

**Oh… yes. I didn't know what to call this chapter, since I name it after the city they stay in. I was going to call it Montreal, since that's where they technically are, but since Casey doesn't know that yet, I just called it Kingston again since that's where a good portion of the story takes place. **

**So… nothing much else to say. Review? Please? And I'll update soon? Yeah? **


	13. Montreal I

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 13: Montreal**_

**A/N: **_First things first: So I was re-reading my lovely reviews when I realized… that it seemed like some of you think Derek and Casey will __**not **__kiss. _

_Of course they will!! What kind of monster would I be if I had all this anticipation for nothing? I'm not that cruel!! Just because there's a possibility they will not "hook-up" does not, in any way, mean they will not kiss!! I know for a 100 percent fact that they __**will**__ kiss in this story._

_What kind of Dasey-shipper would I be if that never happened? :D_

_And… some of you did point out Nora's b!tchiness in the last chapter. That was partially due to the fact that I kinda don't like Nora. I just find her annoying. _

* * *

A cool breeze brushed the hair on Casey's face so it tickled her cheek. She pinched her eyes shut, trying to hold onto sleep, but realized that it was too late, and she was awake.

She used her hand to brush away her hair and rolled over. The sheets were cool, and for a moment Casey just wanted to lay there and enjoy the relaxation.

"Observation D-C is quickly becoming the most interesting observation yet, Liz."

Casey squeezed her eyes shut and scrunched up her lips, mumbling at the voices so they would go away.

"I know! Ditching the play? Stealing the car? That is so…"

"Incredible!" they both said at the same time. They laughed in whispers, before Casey heard the sound of something scratching against paper. Were they writing something down?

"Do you think Act K will happen soon –,"

"Shh! Look, Derek's waking up! Hurry, put the book back in your suitcase!" Casey listened as two people scurried around the room, zipping up things and making a clatter, before she hurried the sound of sheets moving.

Someone yawned, then a bed squeaked and Casey heard more scuffling across the hotel room floor.

She froze. When had they checked into a hotel? Had she been that out of it that she didn't remember that? She heard Derek and Edwin exchange a few words, but she in turn sunk down deeper into the mattress.

"Come on, Casey, wake up," Derek said, than she felt someone poke her stomach lightly. She pinched her eyes shut tighter and pulled the covers up over her head. She heard Him laugh and he poked her again.

"Wow, this is a first. Casey sleeping in? I'm ashamed." Casey smiled despite herself and rolled over on her back, keeping the covers over her head. She finally allowed her eyes to open and adjust to the dim light under the comforter.

She heard the bed creak and the mattress sunk under someone's weight to her right. Then she felt a slight indent in the mattress to her left, and took that opportunity to rip off the covers and sit up.

What she did not expect was for Derek to be hovering over her sleeping form, one arm on either side of her with his face about a foot away from hers. So when she shot up, she smacked her nose against his chin, and while they both tried to reel away from the pain, they ended up smacking foreheads as well.

Derek reeled back, his hand covering his face as they both groaned in pain.

"What'd you do that for?!" Derek yelled.

"How was I supposed to know you'd be so close!" Casey snapped back. She flopped down on the pillows, rubbing her head attentively. Derek settled back on her bed, staring at her with an indescribably expression on his face, his lips slightly upturned in a smirk.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head in reply, and they both stopped and kept eye contact with the other, a tiny smile tugging at both of their lips. Casey was about to say, _"This arrangement is impossible – we can't ignore each other," _when Derek shot up, bouncing to his feet with his arms cross. A sudden serious expression settled on his features.

"Dad and Nora are taking us out shopping."

"_Us_? They're actually letting us come along after last time?" Casey asked, perking her eyebrows as she pushed the comforters back down to her ankles. Derek limply shrugged, taking a couple steps towards the bathroom. He disappeared behind the door, and Casey sighed heavily, slipping out of her bed and heading over to her suitcase.

She heard the shower crank on as she found a reasonable outfit. Trusting Derek enough not to suddenly storm out of the bathroom, she hurriedly changed into a pair of jeans and a beige tee shirt with a jean jacket on top. As she was putting on a black belt with a silver buckle, Edwin and Lizzie walked into the room.

"Where were you two?" Casey asked as she tucked her pyjamas neatly into her suitcase.

"We were packing our suitcases into the van. Are you and Derek almost done?" Casey glanced up at her sister.

"Yeah," Casey replied, nodding her head as she shoved her hairbrush into the suitcase. Edwin picked up Casey's suitcase and began carrying it out the door.

"George wants to go shopping as soon as possible. Mom says they're going to keep an eye on you and Derek this time." Lizzie smirked and sat down on Casey's unmade bed.

"Well, tell them they don't have to. Derek is _not _going to distract me this time."

"As I recall… wasn't it the free hugs guy that distracted you?" Lizzie asked in reply. Casey glanced at her sister, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Oh… right."

"Are you and Derek still getting along?" She asked casually. Casey shrugged, looking away from her sister.

"We agreed to stop doing that."

"You made a pact to stop getting along with Derek!?" Lizzie howled. She paused for a moment, than burst out laughing. Casey glared at her, waiting for the giggles to subside, and when they finally did, she crossed her arms.

"Why on earth would you do that?!" Lizzie asked, a smile still lingering on her face. Casey shrugged.

"He's a bad influen—,"

"No Casey, don't even _try_ to make up excuses. You're just scared that getting along with Derek is this fun. Right?" Casey fell silent for the first time in _forever_, so Lizzie continued. "But you and I both know he's the most fun person here to you."

Casey's head snapped up as she said, "How did you know?"

"I'm not dumb, Case. You were practically glowing with happiness when Mom and George found you and brought you back to the van in Toronto. And during intermission at that stupid play, you weren't nearly as happy with Ryan as you were with Derek."

Silence fell upon to the two sisters.

"So what are you saying?" Casey said quietly.

"I'm saying not all Venturi's are bad. Look at Edwin – sure, he may be a dork but he's a really great guy. Look at George – he's a funny guy, he can hold his family upright – for the most part. Now look at Marti – she may be a little troublemaker, but she's sweet and cute, and intelligent. Now look at Derek. How can the rest of his gene pool be like that, and he can't? Everyone can see that he's not that bad of influence – even Mom, though she _was_ a little crazy last night— _you're_ just too scared to see that." Lizzie hopped off the bed when the water shut off and headed over to the door.

"And why would I be scared of that?" Casey called after her sister. With her hand on the doorknob, Lizzie turned around and faced her sister, a slight smirk on her lips.

"Because he brings out a side of Casey McDonald that even _you _haven't met before." She opened the door and took a step out of the threshold, then turned and met her sister's gaze again.

"He balances you – he makes you see things in a different view. He shows you things even you've never seen before, and it scares you because you believe he's a slacking idiot." Finally, Lizzie left, shutting the door quietly behind her, leaving Casey alone in her thoughts, at least for a moment.

She fell back on the bed, feeling if she stood for another second her knees might wobble and give way. A cold sweat had built up at the back of Casey's neck.

Lizzie wasn't right. Derek was Derek – he wasn't this supernatural being that could change her. She was Casey McDonald – she changes unconsciously for _no one_. She was independent and didn't need balancing.

… Right?

The door to the bathroom opened and Derek walked out, wearing jeans with a brown tee shirt, and a white long-sleeve shirt underneath. She didn't really pay attention though, she was looking at him – Like, actually _looking_, and seeing the person Lizzie suggested he was.

Behind that mop of hair were his brown eyes. Brown and lively. Casey squinted her eyes slightly; Brown, lively and _intelligent_. She paused, gazing into them intently. She never noticed how captivating they were before, almost like they opened up and revealed the person inside – the person he rarely let out.

"What are you smirking at?" She snapped back to reality, a hand flying up to feel her mouth. She _had_ been smiling.

Dazed, she shot to her feet, heading over to the door.

"I'm um, y'know… the…" Her feet stumbled over the threshold and she had to grip onto the doorframe to keep herself from falling over. She heard Derek take careful steps over to her, a grin plastered on his face.

"You oka—,"

"No! Stay back!" Casey hollered, holding her hands out in a stopping motion. She shoved the air for emphasis, before turning and jogging around the balcony of the motel, trying to get to the van as soon as possible.

"Careful you don't trip!" Derek called after her. She rolled her eyes as she stomped across the parking lot to the car.

* * *

"You think this would look good, Liz?"

"Huh?"

"I said you think this would look good?" Casey snapped back, holding a ruffled red plaid skirt to her waist. Lizzie eyed it quickly, than went back to searching through a rack of bracelets.

"Yeah, sure," she replied.

"Great, I'm trying it on!" Casey happily squealed. Lizzie rolled her eyes at her sister's enthusiasm. She was busy looking through some rubber bracelets with individual labels on them, like 'poet', or 'artist' or…

Lizzie snorted at the next one she picked up. It said, 'Dancer' with a pick ballet shoe next to the words. She imaged herself buying it for Edwin for his birthday, saying, "Happy Birthday Ed! I picked this out especially for you!" Her snort turned into a light giggle as she imagined what his expression would be.

But that was cruel, so she quickly put it back in the jar on the display counter. She glanced over, to outside the clothing and jewellery store she and Casey were in, only to have her mouth fall open in shock.

"So Liz, how do I look?" She saw Casey twirl out of the corner of her eye, but didn't acknowledge that.

"Isn't that… Derek?" Lizzie said, her eyes slowly sliding over to her sister's face to take in her expression.

Her jaw, too, dropped open in shock, and her blue eyes clouded over in angry. Lizzie hid the smile and looked back over to Derek, who was chatting up warmly to a blonde.

"How dare him!" Casey whispered harshly. Lizzie cocked an eyebrow and turned to stare at her sister.

"We're not allowed to flirt with other people, or date them or _anything!_ He's going against George and Mom's punishment! That… that…" Lizzie almost wanted to remind Casey she had done the exact same thing for Ryan – even forced the rest of her family to see a lame play—but couldn't, because in a manner of seconds she was storming forward.

She passed by the doorway and took a few feet out into the mall when alarms sounded and she stopped, stunned. Lizzie swallowed back laughter. Sure, she could've helped her sister out when the cashier girl started yelling, but she had to wait and calculate Derek's response to the disturbance.

He glanced over, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lizzie turned her gaze back on her sister, who was in the middle of yelling at the cashier, saying she had to "punish someone". The cashier kept shaking her head, and almost like magic, a big security guard was at Casey's side.

Lizzie's eyes snapped back to Derek. She saw his mouth open, and he even took a step or two forward, toward the store as if he wanted to help out.

But then the blonde girl tugged on Derek's arm, leading him away. Lizzie frowned and marched over to Casey's side, finally deciding to help her.

By the time Lizzie and Casey had explained it had been an accident, the cashier and security guard just "asked politely" for Casey to take off the skirt and leave the store.

As Lizzie and Casey wandered the mall for awhile, she could tell Casey was thinking something over, mostly because she wasn't saying more then a two-word reply to everything Lizzie said, so Lizzie silently reminded herself how she was unlucky enough to end up in a mall with her shopaholic sister.

Nora and George had decided that in order to avoid any complications like the last time they had tried to shop in a big city, they decided to go to a mall – Montreal's Eaton Center – so that the kids (minus Marti) could have complete freedom, so long as they met up in the food court by three o' clock in the afternoon.

She couldn't remember how she had lost Edwin and was stuck with Casey. She only remembered George and Edwin talking excitedly over an outdoors store.

Just as they were walking by a replica of a 50's diner, Casey grabbed Lizzie's arm and stopped her. She pulled Lizzie back towards a couple of garbage cans, pushing down on her shoulder.

"I have a plan."

"Does it involve Derek?" was Lizzie's only response. Casey scrunched up her face, giving Lizzie a disbelieving look.

"You sound like Paul. Anyways, we're going to get Derek back, doesn't that sound like fun?" Lizzie bit down on her lip and shook her head slightly.

"Aww, yeah, c'mon!" Casey insisted. "We're going to stalk Derek and his new Lady-Of-The-Day, and at the worst possible moment we'll intercept them! Doesn't that sound like fun?!"

"No, actually," Lizzie replied, standing quickly, "I'd rather shop with Edwin and George at that outdoors store. I'll see you later, Casey," Lizzie said. She waved at her sister, than quickly walked away.

Casey frowned, clutching onto the side of the dumpster.

"Alright, Casey, it's just us. Now, let's see what Derek and Barbie are up to…" Casey paused and fixed her gaze on the trashcan in front of her. "Why am I talking to myself?"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Wooh! Alright, Ten Points to the people who smiled at Casey's clumsiness near Derek. I mean, we all know what clumsiness means with Casey, right?**

**Even though she might not realize "it" right now.**

**Not much to say.**

**So just review, 'kay? And no one gets hurt :)**


	14. Montreal II

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 14: Montreal II**_

**A/N: **_This chapter didn't come out sooner, because you guys wouldn't believe what happened. So, yeah, I'll just go ahead and say it… I got into a car accident on Friday…_

_Not a bad, bad one, just bad enough there's a huge friggin' dent the size of Quebec in the door. Thankfully the guy who crashed into us is paying for it. Well, he didn't want to, in fact he tried weaselling his way out of it, saying it was our fault… But anyway, I'm rambling again, taking out my frustrations on you guys. Sorry!_

* * *

The first thing Casey did was get a better view of Derek and Barbie, so she scurried away from the trashcans and ducked down outside the huge window of the 50's diner. Luckily, there was a seat in pressed against the window, so Derek couldn't see her unless he caught her looking up.

She paused, crouching down on her knees and carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Holding her breath, she peered up and into the window.

Derek was gesturing for Barbie to sit down inside a booth a little ways away from the window. She chose the couch facing the window, so Derek got in the one opposite that, his back facing Casey.

She exhaled quickly, her brows furrowing when she took in the girl's appearance.

She looked – well, there really was no nice way of putting it – she looked like a tramp.

Excessive make-up lined her eyes, her blue eye shadow going up all the way to her penciled-in eyebrows. Her lips were a nice burgundy colour, but even Casey could see she put the lipstick around her lips, to make them seem fuller. The girl's blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail; with lose pieces framing her face.

Casey ducked down and shivered.

If Derek was seriously into those kinds of girls… Casey involuntarily shivered again. What ever happened to girls like Kendra and Sally? What made him chose this piece of work? Why couldn't he go for a classier girl? And why were they always blonde? Why not brunette?

Casey ducked back up just in time to see a half-covered butt lowering itself into the seat by the window. Grimacing, she looked up from the butt, to a big, greasy man in a plaid button-up shirt, his broadness blocking her view of Derek.

"Damn," she muttered, moving away from the window. She'd have to get closer, but not so close Derek knew she was there. Last time, even in disguise, he had spotted her.

She moved into the restaurant, keeping as far away from Derek and Barbie as she could, settling herself down in a booth on the opposite side of the small restaurant, near the kitchen.

Picking up the menu, she pulled it up and covered her face, confusion still plaguing her mind.

"Can I get you something?"

Casey looked up at the waitress standing over her, a fake smile plastered on her face as she waited expectantly with a pen and notepad.

"Umm… I'll uh…"

"Take this to table four!" someone shouted from the kitchen. Casey looked over and saw a young waitress, bustling quickly with a tray in her hand, one coke carefully poised on top.

"Umm, no, actually. Here, let me take this," Casey shot up to her feet and grabbed the tray from the waitress, taking several large steps before either waitress could yell.

She made a bee-line for the greasy man in plaid, pausing slightly on her way there.

"Don't look at the coke… Don't look at the coke…" she murmured, re-enacting the advice she had used during her short-term job at Smelly Nelly's.

Casey took the long way around the restaurant, detouring so she was always out of Derek's view as she made her way over to the booth.

Finally, she set the coke down on the table in front of the greasy man, her eyes staying strained on Derek and his "date". She could catch snippets of their conversation, or of Barbie's conversation. She was doing most of the talking, after all.

"Oh and… barfed up… _eight weeks_… didn't get my… had… hospital. Oh! And then… and I said …--,"

"Hey sweet cheeks, I didn't order this," the greasy man stated, blocking out the rest of Barbie's sentence. Casey looked over at the guy, her eyes widening.

"Oh, it's uh… on the house!" she smirked at him, turning slightly to walk away. She took two steps when she felt someone swap at her butt. Heat flushed to her cheeks when she turned to stare at the greasy guy, only to see him licking his lips, his hand still outstretched.

Casey quickened her steps, collapsing in a stool by the bar counter, her head strained over to watch Derek and _her_.

Barbie had reached over, and was idly playing with Derek's fingertips, ever so often batting her eyelashes. Her mouth kept working, though, and it almost seemed like she never stopped to breathe.

"Why are you resting? Take this to table seven! Hello! Hell-_o_." Casey felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see a blonde-haired guy standing over her with a tray full of food.

"Umm… what?"

"You must be the new girl Agatha told me about, then. Did Trey hire you? He's not here today, so I'll help you out." The man put the tray in Casey's hands forcefully, then turned her so she was facing Derek's table.

"That's table seven. Now smile wide, hurry-up – this couple has been waiting quite a while for their dish – and don't forget to be polite," the blonde explained, before giving her shoulder a shove, causing her to stumble off towards Derek's table.

Something sunk in Casey's stomach as she made baby-steps over to Derek's table. How was she going to explain this? She gnawed on her lips thoughtfully, shifting over so she still couldn't be seen by Derek.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the blonde who had lectured her was no where in sight. Sighing with relief, she hurried over to the greasy plaid man's table and slammed the tray down.

"This isn't –,"

"It's on the house again," Casey blandly stated. She glanced back at Derek's table, only to see the blonde girl – looking quite frustrated – rising to her feet. Derek followed suite, and just as he turned Casey sat down hurriedly in the same booth as the greasy guy.

He smiled at her, showing off his lovely buck teeth.

"Can't resist me, aye?" he laughed, reaching over to pat her hand. "S'alright. Most girls can't."

As Derek walked by, she ducked down so she was lying fully on the couch of the booth. The greasy man laughed again.

"No need to be shy. I won't bite… hard."

* * *

Almost immediately after Derek and Barbie left, Casey jumped up and ran as far away as she could from the greasy man. By the time she had left the restaurant, Derek and the blonde were to little blobs amid a crowd, so she had to practically run to keep them in sight.

As she did so, she couldn't help but shake her head.

"The things I go through to make sure Derek gets punished…" she muttered, shaking her head disdainfully. As she neared Derek and Barbie, she saw the blonde's fingers shyly slipping off and on Derek's wrist.

Casey rolled her eyes, looking away as something inside her chest burned. She almost missed seeing them turn and walk up to an escalator, stopping so it took them up.

Casey got in behind a few people, ducking down so Derek couldn't see her. Now, they were downright holding hands, and Barbie was smiling, her big, fat lips rolling up over her gums in a hideous smile.

Derek tugged on her arm, and they started up the escalator, squeezing by the people in their way. Casey immediately shot forward, shoving the people in front of her out of her way as she stomped up the escalator.

When she got to the top, she could plainly see it was a food court she now stood in. Her eyes darted feverishly, trying to find a glimpse of Derek or the blonde's hair. She saw plenty of people who looked similar, but couldn't seem to actually _find _Derek specifically.

She wandered over to the middle of the food court, looking in each of the lines for the different franchise, but came up empty handed.

Groaning, Casey slumped down in an empty seat, and actually took the time to think. Why _had _she been obsessed with Derek and his date? She had never been before – other than that time with Emily. But that was because she was her best friend.

But who did that Barbie think she was; barging in and touching Derek whenever she got the chance. It was sickening and disgusting. She should get some dignity, is what Casey thought.

Her eyes darted upwards, and she saw Derek coming closer with the blonde attached to his arm, a tray of food in his free hand. Casey tore off from the table, ducking down behind a couple who were sharing a carton of fries.

"Hi, just ignore me," Casey said, laughing dismissively. When Derek and Barbie sat down in the table she was just at, she darted around to a different table, this one with an elderly couple, standing upward to glare at her prey.

Barbie was leaning toward Derek, her humongous lips puckered, looking ready to suck Derek's face off.

Casey gasped and leaned forward, but as she did so her arm accidentally sprawled forward and knocked the elderly couple's tray of food over.

"Oh I'm… uh…" she paused when Derek glanced away, narrowly avoiding the kiss. This caused Casey to trip over the elderly woman's chair leg and fall on her butt, dazed.

Derek refusing to kiss a girl was like… was like Earth refusing gravity. It just didn't work. It just _couldn't_.

"Sorry," Casey mumbled, standing awkwardly to her feet as a blush worked its way on her cheeks. She wandered over to the aisle, standing behind a big, burly man who was talking to someone at a table.

She leaned over the guy's shoulder, watching carefully as Barbie held onto Derek's shoulder, leaning forward again. She was going in for the kill – leaving no room for Derek to escape.

Casey shoved the guy out of her way, marching toward Derek and fish-face – also known as Barbie. She knew she had to stop that 'kiss' from happening. Not because of the unsettled feeling in her gut, but because Derek couldn't have the satisfaction of getting 'anything' from his little illegal date.

"Hey Derek!" Casey laughed, waving at Derek and only him, blocking out the blonde as best as she could.

"Casey!" Derek breathed. For a split second, it looked like relief washed over his face, before his eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you doing here?" If Casey wasn't so busy trying to think of an excuse – other then stalking – she would've seen the sly smile on Derek's lips.

"I'm… ummm…"

"Derek," Casey turned to look at Barbie. Her voice didn't match her looks – it was too sweet. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend."

"She's my step –,"

An idea flashed in Casey's head, and before she could even make a list of pros and cons, she leaned forward and patted Barbie's arm, not really caring she withdrew it quickly.

"… Step, Step… Stepanie," Casey finished for Derek. She reached out a hand and took Barbie's. "I'm Stepanie, like Stephanie," she leaned into Barbie's face, "but without the _phhh_!"

Barbie recoiled, dropping Casey's grip and wiping the spit from her face as Casey laughed lightly, leaning on Derek's chair.

"Case—,"

"Stepanie," Casey whispered harshly, staring down intently at Derek. One of his brows cocked, and he gave her a questioning look, a slight smile lining his features.

"Well… uh…" Barbie said. Casey almost wanted to smile at how uncomfortable she looked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Who are you?" Casey asked, inclining her head forward. Derek's mouth opened up, as if he wanted to say something, but Casey quickly wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, her arms blocking his mouth. She knew whenever he said something, 90 percent of the time it was something stupid.

"I'm… I'm… Cheryl, it's uh…" she straightened, and Casey saw how her feet started bouncing. She wanted to leave, all she needed was a little push in the right direction.

Trusting that Derek wouldn't start blabbing, she lowered her arms to drape over his chest, lowering her head on top of his as she bent over his chair. She inhaled quickly and held her breath, trying to fight the weird urge in her stomach the demanded she run far away. She turned her head inward, hiding her mouth behind her arm, so it looked like she was kissing Derek's neck to Cheryl, but she actually wasn't.

She felt Derek's back straighten, and he froze, his whole body turning frozen and rigid.

Casey glanced over at Cheryl with a raised eyebrow, watching as the girl jumped to her feet and grabbed her purse, giving a curt wave.

"I'll see you later, Derek," she said, but the way she spoke was exactly the opposite of her words. She turned and headed off into the crowded food court. Once she was out of sight, Casey pushed away from Derek, groaning for extra enthusiasm.

She plopped down in Cheryl's old chair, putting a hand to her head and rubbed her temple.

"I hope you know I only did that so… Derek?" Casey leaned forward, staring into Derek's expression. He was staring straight ahead, his body still frozen so he could pass off as a mannequin.

She snapped her fingers under his nose, and he blinked slowly, coming through as his eyes adjusted onto Casey's face.

"What?"

"I said I only did that so I could ruin your date. You really thought I'd let you get away with going out with a girl? Especially a girl that looked like _that_? Please, if I hadn't intervened, I _so _would've told Mom and George. You're lucky I'm so –,"

"Casey!" she looked up at Derek, frowning when she saw he was smirking at her, a playful look in his eyes.

"I knew you were following us all along."

"What! Since when? Damnit! I thought I was doing well." Casey frowned farther, slouching down in the chair and crossing her arms.

"I knew you were following us since you practically brought the diner to chaos. Really? Switching orders just to avoid me?" Derek laughed, shaking his head slightly as he, too, leaned back.

Casey shrugged, a smile falling on her features that she couldn't hide. Derek's foot gently poked Casey's under the table, and her eyes flashed to meet his.

"You've got guts."

"I know," Casey replied, grinning. And they stayed like that for a while, just staring at each other with a smile on their expression, not noticing Derek's foot had rested against Casey's.

Something started beeping, and Derek rolled up his sleeve and pressed a button on his watch.

"We should meet up with Dad and Nora now," he said, rising to his feet with a stretch. Casey raised an eyebrow as they began walking away.

"I'm impressed. You've actually set an alarm? And following it? Wow," Casey sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"I didn't want to get left behind."

"How could we leave an obnoxious, big-headed freak behind?" Casey asked, reaching over to flick his hair. He caught her hand quickly, bringing it down slowly as he smirked at her.

It wasn't until they reached the escalators that their hands dropped.

And both silently ignored the fact their hands felt a hell of a lot more lonelier afterwards.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Oh my God. You wouldn't believe how awkward and hard this chapter was to write. I know it's rushed. I know it's ugly. I just didn't have the massive inspiration it took to write a good chapter.**

**Yes, it's short.**

**Yes, its crap.**

**Yes, it didn't live up to its expectations.**

**But am I happy I've fought the hill and overcame writer's block? Hell yeah!**

**I don't know what's in store for the next chapter, but hopefully I'll make it mucho longer than this ugly chapter.**


	15. Trois Rivières

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 15: Trois-Rivi**__**è**__**res**_

**A/N: **_Sha-sha-sha-sha-ZAM! And now my wrath of only-updating-once-a-week is coming into play for this story. _

_You can go on and read the chapter now, but I just want to gush over you awesome reviewers. 260 reviews!! Really? I can't BELIEVE how many reviews I'm getting! Are we really going to push 300 reviews for this story? ;)_

_Oh… and this is the first chapter (I think) where I use the whole Smerek-Smarti banter._

* * *

To say Nora was surprised when Derek and Casey weren't late would be an understatement. Add to the fact they weren't scowling, but in fact wearing smiles just blew her mind completely; Just abolished all coherent thoughts right out of her mind.

And since they weren't fighting, it was a happy day for Nora. They drove through Quebec peacefully without incident.

For about 40 seconds.

"I'm _bored_," Marti sighed, slumping down in her seat with her head in her hands. Hardly anywhere moved at her outburst, so she continued. "I've been a good girl since London. I've gone to a stupid play, I've been shoved in hotel rooms with Nora and Dad, and have I complained? No. So I say its time we do something I want to do."

George turned his head a fraction of an inch.

"What was that Marti?"

"I _said _I want –,"

Marti was interrupted by a, "Der-_ek_," followed by slight giggling. Marti turned to glare at her older brother, who had his arm wrapped around Casey's chair and his head propped on the shoulder of the chair. His other hand had a feather from God-knows-where, and it was currently hovering close to Casey's nose. He was smiling.

"Stop!" Casey huffed. Her eyebrows scrunched as she shoved Derek's hand away, but a smile lingered on her lips.

"I _said_," Marti continued, raising her voice as loud as it could go without yelling, "That I think its time we did something _I _want to do!"

"And what would that be?" George asked.

"I want to…" Marti glanced fleetingly out the window. "I want to go to the park!"

"The _park_?" Edwin asked, groaning. "We have a million-and-one parks in London, and you want to spend your time in the _park_?" He threw his hands up in disbelief.

"Well, wouldn't it be nice, though?" Lizzie countered back. "It'd be like a family outing. And I mean… like a _real _family outing," with that said, Lizzie glared at her older sister for a second, obviously referring to the Grand Theatre incident.

"It _is _a nice day," Nora seconded, gesturing to the open window. George let out a small sigh, scratching the back of his head. He really didn't want to waste more time. He wanted to get to Charlottetown, but it was only fair to Marti…

"Alright."

"Yes!" Marti cheered, pumping her fists in the air. Nora immediately pulled out a map of Trois-Rivières, looking for the nearest park and its directions.

Half an hour later, they were pulling up in the small parking lot outside of Parc de l'île Saint-Quentin – a huge park with beautiful scenery.

The two families climbed out of the minivan, stretching their sore limbs from the cramped ride.

Casey sucked in a deep breath. She had always loved the smell of nature – the honeysuckle, the lilacs, the freshly cut grass… it was so intoxicating, like rain. She fell in step next to her sister as the family followed a path into the thicket of trees. They wandered around on the trail for a little bit, before Nora and George picked a nice, green field to relax in that was free from other people.

Nora and George immediately collapsed under a tree, Nora pulling out the Map of Canada, probably to do more planning and calculating. Casey had wanted to collapse next to them, but Marti took her hand and tugged her so they were a good football field away from their parents.

"Who wants to play Fantasy World with me?" Marti asked, tugging on Casey's hand for emphasis. Lizzie and Edwin both cocked eyebrows, glancing at each other quickly.

"Great. Now, I'm Queen Marti and all must obey me. In my Fantasy Land, there has been an invading force of alien slug beasts. Edwin and Lizzie are my prince and princess, and Casey is my knight." Derek scoffed at this, crossing his arms.

"You really want your kingdom to be protected by that?" he asked, gesturing wildly at Casey's form. She, in turn, scowled and crossed her arms.

"Alright Smerek, then you can be the alien slug beast," Marti replied simply, shrugging her shoulder limply. Casey opened her mouth in an "O" shape, her eyebrows raised, before she started chuckling in a teasing manner.

"What are you laughing at? You're going to be the first one I come after," he cocked his head in way that said, "Oh yeah," before Marti clapped her hands.

"We have to run away from the alien slug beast. And if we get caught, we fall into a deep sleep. Except the knight… she's wearing armour so she's the only one that can kill the slug beast." Marti paused, motioning for Derek to take several steps back. "Alright; One, two, three… Go!" Marti shrieked. Lizzie, Edwin, Casey and Marti all dispersed in different directions.

Derek, untrue to his word, went after Marti first. Casey stopped to stare as his hockey-playing agility easily allowed him to catch Marti. Edwin got caught next, and as he started chasing after Lizzie, Casey immediately took action.

"Get away from my sister!" she yelled, running forward and shoving Derek, getting his attention immediately.

"Uh Smarti… how do Alien Slug Beasts defeat the Knight?"

"I don't know. Improvise!" Marti called back from her place lying in the grass. Derek glanced back at Casey, his eyes narrowed. He shifted his body every time she shifted hers; going back when she took a step forward, going forward when she took a step back.

Casey stopped, her eyes darting over to Lizzie. Lizzie was standing a little ways off, watching with keen interest. Derek saw the glance, and he turned on his heel, catching Lizzie by surprise and chasing after her.

Lizzie put up a good fight. She was swift from all the soccer playing she had done, but Derek's longer legs easily caught up with her. He chased her down for a couple of minutes – enough time to allow Casey to pursue after Derek quietly.

Finally, he lunged and caught Lizzie's shoulder. As she collapsed to the grass, Casey's muscles tensed and she jumped forward, her arms wrapping Derek's waist as she dove him into the ground.

He collapsed with a grunt, Casey falling forward and slamming her chin into his stomach. For a moment, she stayed there, her upper-body resting on Derek's waist and legs, their heavy breathing the only thing she heard. She let out a deep gust of breath and a bead of sweat dripped down her temple before she finally disentangled herself from Derek, jumping to her feet and pumping her fists in the air.

"I killed the alien! Yeah! I did it! I did it!" she cheered. She looked on Lizzie, Edwin and Marti's forms. They had all congealed together in the time it took her to chase Derek down, and were now all staring at her, their eyes wide with their heads pressed together.

Then she knew why.

She felt two arms wrap around her stomach, and she was immediately heaved off the ground and into someone's strong chest.

"I'm not going down that easy," he breathed in her ear. She squirmed, trying to get her feet to touch the ground again with her hands shoving at Derek's strong arms. He tightened his grip around her and swung her around, dropping her to her feet and giving her a push.

She wobbled on unsteady legs for a second, before she took off running, darting through a particularly thick pack of trees, trying to lose Derek. But not matter how hard she tried, she could still hear his panting right behind her.

Her feet took her up a slant in the terrain and the trees began to thin out. She saw only blue sky behind the trees, indicating they were on an elevated piece of land.

She twisted around a couple of trees, trying to lose Derek in her zigzagging while also praying she wouldn't trip – one misstep and she'd be captured by the alien slug beast.

The hill they were climbing became steeper, and they both slowed substantially. When Casey got up the last part of the hill, she knew she should've been tired. Instead, she found a new burst of stamina and endurance, so she bolted forward at full speed.

And it all happened so fast.

One moment she saw ground in front of her, the next she didn't. She skidded to a halt before she could fall over the edge of the "cliff". Her foot lurched forward from the sudden halt, throwing her off balance. In her struggle to stay upward, she could see water down below. And even thought it was probably only a seven-foot drop to the water, her hearth thundered wildly in her chest.

She twisted on her heel so her back faced the drop-off, only to see Derek immerging from the trees looking sweaty and full of dirt and grime.

"Derek!" she called. Her mind fogged for a second, and she was reminded of an almost identical time. The click…. She had been flailing. He had been watching. She called for help. He let her fall.

She closed her eyes when she felt her body start falling backwards, and just as she got accustomed to the idea of being full of lake sludge, she felt fingers wrap around her wrist.

Her eyes shot open and she reached forward, grabbing his shirt collar seconds before she realized that was a horrible, horrible idea. His body lurched forward from the movement, and then they were both falling.

That seven-foot drop seemed to go on forever. She didn't both screaming. She just remembered wrapping herself into Derek.

And then she was wet, and her mouth was full of water. She felt something slimy wipe against her legs.

_Seaweed_, she thought, pushing her arms out and dragging her body to the surface. Her hair draped over her eyes as she sputtered like a wet cat, kicking and slashing at the water with her feet and hands.

Hey, she wasn't the best swimmer.

"Drek," she choked out. Water spilt from her mouth and she coughed heavily.

"Derek!" she called louder, her voice hoarse and raspy from being full of water. She heard the water splash behind her and she turned, coming face-to-face with Derek, his hair soaked and dripping down into his eyes.

"Derek! Are you alright? Did you hit any rocks? Are you bleeding?"

"No, no," he choked out, raising a hand to stop her entreating form. "I'm fine."

"Good," Casey sighed. She stretched out her leg to try and touch the bottom of the lake. She felt nothing, and immediately panic seized her. What if she drowned? She couldn't swim well, and here she was treading water that was probably double her height in depth. And what kind of creatures were down there? There could be snapping turtles, and huge fish, and…

"Something slimy touched me!" she screamed when she felt the seaweed drape around her leg. She reached out, hugging Derek's neck from behind and wrapping her legs around his waist in a desperate attempt to keep herself out of the water.

She ended up shoving him under the water. His hands started pushing at her legs, and only when she let go did he come up, sputtering.

"Sorry," she whispered, resting her head on his back. She felt his muscles working through his shirt, and the water starting rushing against her. She peered over her shoulder and saw that he was swimming them to the shore.

"You can't swim, can you?" he asked, his sentence becoming chopped up each time his mouth dipped under the water.

"Not really," Casey replied. She rested her chin on his shoulder, her arms wrapped under his arms. She had disentangled her legs from him, and was now kicking them out, helping to move them forward.

Finally her feet touched the mud, and she sloshed out of the water, running her fingers restlessly through her dirty hair. Fatigue settled over her body, and she collapsed to the grass, laying on her back as she let the sunlight that filtered through the trees to warm her body.

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She only opened her eyes again when she heard Derek plop to the ground behind her.

"You think are parents are going to be mad?" his voice asked. It was so close to her ear she heard it rumbling through her body, as if she were laying against his chest.

"Maybe a little," she replied, turning her head to look at him. He was lying like her, only facing the opposite direction she was, his head the only part of his body that was aligned with hers. He shot her a disbelieving look and she smiled dimly.

"Okay, considering we're soaking wet, we've been missing for," she glanced at her _water-proof _watch, "twenty minutes… Eh, they'll be upset, but I don't think they'll be murderously angry."

Derek smirked and turned his face away from her, cushioning his head with one of his arms. They fell into a companionable silence, Casey closing her eyes again. She let the rays of the sun start drying her body, and though she knew they should be getting up and heading back, she found herself slipping off into sleep.

Something was tugging at her hair in a way that made that melting feeling creep over her skin. It felt good, and it made her eyelids feel even heavier. It wasn't until she realized two possible explanations for it did she rip open her eyes. One: There were bugs crawling in her hair. Two: Derek was playing with her hair.

She shifted her head over slightly, analyzing Derek's face. His eyes were lowered and he was staring at her damp hair while his hand worked through the ends of it.

"What are you doing?" she breathed. His eyes flashed to meet hers and for a moment he looked… bashful.

"I don't know. What's it like having long hair?"

"You should know, Dereka," Casey said in reply, smiling as she closed her eyes again. She heard him snort, and the hair-playing ended.

"Why did you stop?" she whispered.

"We should get back," he replied. "Or else they'll think we killed each other." And even though he said this, the gentle tugging returned and Casey smiled dimly. She glanced at her watch: 2:34. They could stay for another minute or so…

They didn't speak, and it was completely enjoyable for both parties. Casey never thought Derek could sit still with her for more then a minute or so, and he never thought Casey could be quiet unless she was sleeping. The hair-playing never ceased, and for Casey, that moment had been the most relaxing moment on this vacation.

And what surprised her most was that she was _glad _it happened with Derek.

* * *

"Casey…,"

"Yeah?" she tiredly opened her eyes. Had she fallen asleep? How long had she been out for?

"We should go back now." She stole a glance at her watch: 3:10.

Frowning, she got to her feet and stretched. An hour had passed since they first disappeared.

"Derek, _now _I think our parents may be murderously angry." A worried glance passed between the two teens, before they both started trekking back to the field. They walked along, not speaking a word, until they reached the forests edge. Casey peered around worriedly chewing on her nail.

Marti was dancing by herself, Edwin and Lizzie had their heads together, Nora and George were cuddling under the tree…

Everything seemed… _normal._

Derek stepped out first, and Casey followed quickly behind. No one spared a glance in their direction; no one even acknowledged them there. Finally Lizzie turned and looked at them, smiling widely.

"Derek! Casey!" Lizzie called. "When did you two get back?" Casey's brows furrowed. Lizzie's tone of voice… she was putting on a façade. Marti and Edwin both stopped to look, too, and Casey mouth opened slightly in realization.

Had they planned it all?

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Annnnnnnnnd I'm back! Did you like this chapter? I thought it was nice and detailed. Progressive? Yes? No? I'm not sure. I'm not even sure if that whole, mega-Dasey scene really fit in there. But who cares. We got Dasey.**

**By the way, partially of the reason as to why I didn't update sooner is because I'm making a trailer for this story for YouTube.**

**Now, so far it's short. It'll only be about a minute and a half long, and since LwD doesn't take place in ANY travelling scenes, I had to "borrow" some car scenes from other movies. They won't mind… Anything for Dasey.**

**Anyways, my WMM is fricked up at the moment, so THAT won't be coming out any time soon…**

**Anywho. R-R-R-Review?**


	16. Quebec City

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 16: Qu**__**ebec City**_

**A/N: **_Here we are guys, Qu__e__bec City! I promised something "romantic" would happen here. And lucky us that I started this story when I did! They're having a 400-Year-Birthday-Bash thing in Quebec City, so yes, that part of this story is true (I even researched the certain celebration activities they were doing). It's happening right now! _

_-Pushes all readers towards Quebec City-_

_**Warning: **__there's quite a bit of French in this chapter, but it's mostly Quebecois (which is like French, but not.) quotes I got while researching the language. Anyways, there's some swearing in Quebecois, so if anyone can understand the language, er… you have been warned :P_

* * *

George had intended on driving right through Quebec City without stopping. He had grown frustrated that this trip, which he had planned to only take three days, was turning into a week-long adventure. But even though he was frustrated, he was happy the kids were enjoying themselves.

Of course, when they planned on driving through Quebec City, they did not plan on what awaited them there.

If the streets weren't packed with people, they were packed with cars full of tourists and party-goers. The people on the street were waving Quebec flags enthusiastically and shouting words in Quebecois. A couple of people were selling balloons to little children, and once Marti saw this her back immediately straightened with interest.

"What's going on here?" George muttered, leaning forward until his chest was pressed against the steering wheel. One gregarious person thrusted his head near the windshield of the minivan and started hollering something so fast even Casey couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Oh my God," Casey breathed, digging through the pocket on the back of Nora's chair. She pulled out her planner, her pointer finger scanning the page. "What's today?" she breathlessly asked.

"Uh… the third… of July, isn't it?" George replied. The car shifted forward an inch before it halted again.

"I can't believe we made it!" Casey clasped her planner to her chest as a wide smile found its way onto her lips.

"You brought that thing on vacation?" Derek snapped, pointing to her planner with a disgusted look on his face, "I thought even _you _would be cool enough to leave it at –,"

"It's the 400th anniversary of Quebec!" Casey yelled, grabbing Derek's shirt collar, as he was the closest person to her, and started shaking him with enthusiasm.

"So?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and shoved him into his seat, turning to talk to George and Nora.

"Do you know how amazing this is going to be? We can't let this pass us by! C'mon Mom! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! There will never, _ever _be another 400th year anniversary ever again. Do you know how big this party is going to be?"

"Party?" Derek repeated, leaning forward as he took interest in the conversation. The car lurched forward, than slammed to a halt not four inches from where they last were.

"Yes, all of Old Quebec will be bustling. I can't believe we made it here on _exactly _July 3rd!"

"What's so great about an anniversary party?" Lizzie huffed. Casey glanced over at her sister. She hadn't spoken to her since she and Derek had gotten back from the lake, as she was convinced the three youngest had deliberately sent them off. Casey shrugged as her excitement got the better of her.

"Everything! This will be the single most greatest event in Canada's _history_! They'll have jugglers and carnivals and all these activities and events and –,"

"Bor-ing," Derek sighed, settling back into his seat.

"And I don't even know half of it! But if all these people are here, it _must _be good!" Casey continued, ignoring Derek's interruption. Marti was bouncing with excitement in her spot next to Derek.

"I want to stay! I want to stay!" she pleaded.

"George?" Nora asked, touching her husbands arm lightly. He sighed, than turned to face Nora with a smile on his face.

"Alright."

"Yes!" Marti yelled, falling back against her chair. Casey grinned as well, and when she looked at Edwin and Lizzie she saw them smirking as well. She glanced over at Derek, only to see him frowning.

"Don't worry," Casey said, leaning over her armrest so only he could hear her. "The legal drinking age in Quebec is 18. I'm sure you could pass for that, so long as they don't ask for ID." Derek smirked at her, his brows rising slightly.

She turned before he could reply; scribbling down events in her planner she hoped she could attend.

* * *

The good hotels were packed, and most of the motels were, too. So they had to settle for a little motel off the highway that was situated on a hill. In the distance, the sparkling, glassy surface of the St. Lawrence could be seen.

As George bustled the family out of the motel, he had a plan figured out. Marti, Edwin and Lizzie wanted to spend their time with the jugglers and stilt-walkers, and after a little research on Casey's part, she discovered that those activities were taking place at Parliament Hill. Derek and Casey had wanted to hit the streets to mingle with the other teenagers, and though Nora insisted she come along, it was actually Lizzie and Edwin who had convinced her they wanted her with them.

George was sceptical about leaving the two alone in a city, but Casey had been to Old Quebec before on a school trip in grade 7, and she knew her way back to their motel by heart.

So, finally, the two set off while the rest of their family went to Parliament Hill. At first it was a little uncomfortable. They hadn't spoken about what went down on the shore of the lake in Trois-Rivières, and Casey knew if she brought it up, Derek would probably deny their sappy moment.

In silent agreement, they didn't leave each other's side as they walked through the cheering streets of Old Quebec. They actually didn't know what to expect, and what these people were waiting for. Most of them seemed to be migrating towards the St. Lawrence, but a lot of them were coagulating in groups of rowdy enthusiasts.

"Do you know what we should be doing?" Casey asked, gesturing mildly to a group of people who had the Quebec flag painted on their faces.

"No. It's like their… waiting for something," Derek replied. Casey paused to tighten a hand around Derek's elbow.

"Should we talk to them?" Luckily, one of 'them' beat her to it; A boy, no older then 19, with strait, dark red hair stepped out of the crowd and patted Derek and Casey on the shoulders excitedly, his grip friendly and welcoming.

"_Exciter, n'est-ce pas_?" he asked.

"_What_?" Derek asked. The boy gave him a funny look, but Casey smiled. She could understand French, for the most part, but if the boy started speaking Quebecois she'd have a little more difficulty.

"He says, isn't it exciting?" Casey repeated. Derek shrugged, shooting the red-head a dirty look that obviously meant he didn't want him around. The boy didn't notice.

"Ah, you two are not from around 'ere?" he asked. He smiled a little wider when Casey nodded, before he took a step bow and gave a dramatic bow. "Zen I welcome you to 'ar Québec. She is beautiful, no?" Casey smiled as the boy took a baseball cap from his back pocket – it had the Quebec flag on it – and placed it on his red hair.

"Yes, it's really nice here."

"Oh, I am, eh, so sorry. I have not 'et introduced myself." He paused to reach a hand out, towards Derek first. "I am Jean-Luis la Roux. And you 'ar?"

"Derek Venturi," Derek replied stiffly, taking his hand and shaking it once. Jean turned to Casey next and she took it, smiling at the old-fashioned formality.

"Casey McDonald."

"Ah, I excuse myself for my… eh, _baragouiner l'anglais_."

Casey nodded her head understandingly, but Derek cocked his head to the side and shot Jean a confused look.

"He's apologizing for his bad English," Casey replied with an impatient sigh. She turned a shoulder to Derek. "So, what's going to happen around here? What are you all waiting for?"

"Tonight 'ere is going to be ze biggest firework show zat Canada has ever seen, so zey say," Jean replied casually. "Over la St. Lawrence."

"Ok, c'mon Casey, let's go," Derek nagged, tugging on her arm. She peered at him through the corner of her eye, than turned back to Jean, rolling her eyes as if at a small child. He laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Does 'ee think I am taking you from 'im? 'Ee does not need to worry. I am, eh… _un fif_. You understand, yes?" Casey nodded her head. She wasn't sure what he had just said _exactly_, but she was pretty sure he said he was homosexual.

"'Ar you two alone?" he cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, and Derek huffed in annoyance behind her, prodding her in the side.

"Yeah."

"Zen you can join me and my friends!" Jean glanced at his watch, squinting to see better. The sun was setting, and since they were behind a building it was casting a dark shadow over them, even though the sky was still orange.

"Okay… doesn't that sound like fun, Derek?" Casey asked, looking over her shoulder at her step-brother. He shot her a look that read like, 'What the hell are you thinking'? When one of Jean's friends drunkenly slung an arm over Jean.

"_Ne fais pas confiance à ce gars-là, c'est un sent-la-marde_!" he said, directing his drunken slur to Casey and Derek while pointing a finger at Jean. Jean's mouth dropped and he hastily pushed his friend away. From his reaction, Casey decided it was for the best that she didn't understand what the guy had just said.

"Don't worry, zey won't bother you two. I'll just stick with you until we get to la St. Lawrence, yes?" Jean asked as his group of friends started heading off. Derek's eyes followed them.

"I don't know, they look like their having quite a bit of fun," he smirked, and Casey saw images of a drunken Derek flash before her eyes. She didn't like what she saw, so she hastily stomped down on his foot before turning back to Jean, ignoring Derek's cries of pain.

She mostly conversed with Jean. He informed her that this was only the beginning of the celebration in Quebec, and that it would end sometime around Halloween. The more he told her, the more she wanted to stay, but couldn't. In return, she told Jean about her family's road trip and where they were heading to – the almost unreachable Charlottetown.

Jean's friends led them over to Le Château Frontenac, and as Casey marvelled over the beautiful building that was lit up in various places, Jean gently guided her over to the boardwalk next to the "castle" that over looked the St. Lawrence.

By then it was dark, and chilly. Casey regretted leaving their dingy little motel room without a jacket, or a sweater, or even another layer of shirt.

She leaned against the green fence at the edge of the boardwalk. Crowds of people were gathered around her, excitement brewing from their bodies. It was infectious, and Casey, though she should've felt tired, felt anxious for the fireworks to start.

She bounced a little, until she felt Derek lean into her. She felt kind of bad that she had neglected him, and now that she saw what he was wearing, he must've been even more cold then herself; only a tee shirt and low shorts. At least she had jeans on that protected her legs from the whipping wind of the St. Lawrence.

So she leaned back into him, her head resting gently on his warm shoulder as her arm wrapped around his. He was cozy to cuddle into, but she didn't want to push and see how far he'd let her go, so she stayed as she was, staring off into the night sky above the St. Lawrence.

Jean kept up a conversation with Casey and Derek, going over light topics like weather and school, until the crowd began a low chant, "_Allumer les feu d'artifice!_" Their voices were light at first, mere whispers against the biting wind, but they got louder, and louder. The excitement was throbbing in the air, and people seemed to be bouncing on the soles of their feet. They had their flags out, their party poppers and whatever else they desired to make the moment of the first fireworks a special occasion.

And then it happened – that whistling that grew lower in octaves. Silence fell upon the crowd, and even the wind seemed to die down for the split second. And then it popped, and an explosion of red colour streamed into the sky. People started screaming and popping confetti and hugging and it was a huge mess.

Casey's mind was in a whirl as she jumped up and down and clapped. Jean grabbed her, held her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek in his excitement, before he continued waving the Quebec flag with his friends as more fireworks exploded.

Casey turned and was about to tell Derek something when she saw the girl that had been standing next to him grab him, like Jean had done to her, and kiss him hastily on the cheek.

And then she didn't know what happened. It was like she wasn't controlling her body and she could only sit back and watch. Her hands reached and gently cupped his cheeks, both of them at the same time, her fingers running along his jaw line, and she leaned forward.

Everything before that had been going so fast, but now it seemed like everything had slowed down. She could see several things at once – Derek's eyes open in surprise, than close shut. She didn't even know what she was doing until her lips were tingling, and she felt something soft on them. Her eyes were closed now, and she felt hands on her shoulders.

She was kissing someone. It couldn't be Derek. Sure, she had grabbed Derek's face, she had been inching toward his lips, but she wasn't kissing Derek. She _couldn't _be.

But when she pulled back, it was his shocked face she saw. Her hands shot away from his face and she hurriedly turned away, her cheeks burning. She had only kissed Derek for two seconds, yet it had felt like an eternity.

Jean gently bumped her shoulder, so she started clapping and hollering again as another firework exploded and lit up the night sky. Than another. And another. Yet all she could think about was those few seconds when their lips had met. She had done it out of celebration, sure. _Everyone _had been kissing whoever was near them, so why couldn't she have kissed Derek? It would've been weird not to.

And with this logic in mind, she was able to enjoy the rest of her night. She screamed until her voice got hoarse, and she jumped and bounced until her feet were throbbing and full of blisters. And when that had occurred, Jean informed her the show wasn't nearly done yet.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**OMG! They kissed! But don't think of that as 'the kiss' just yet. There's a few more in store for them, and I can assure you one of them will be done out of emotion, not out of 'celebration' like this one was.**

**Okay? Who wants some Quebecois/French translations?**

**I'm just going to do the ones that Casey couldn't:**

**_-- Ne fais pas confiance à ce gars-là, c'est un sent-la-marde! –_ "Don't trust that guy. He's a f-ck-up."**

_**-- Allumer les feu d'artifice!**_** – _"_Light the fireworks!_"_**

**Oh yeah - sorry if Jean was annoying with his stupid little accent. I wanted you all to know he had one, but I couldn't just say, "he had a French accent," and not write it, or else I'm pretty sure you guys wouldn't have imagined it the way I want ya'll to.**


	17. Levis

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 17: Levis**_

_**A/N**_: _Ummmm… wow, I think this is the first time I don't have anything to say. Okay, here's a "fun fact": Out of the thousands and thousands of stories here on fanfiction, there are only 2 stories (including mine) that has "Charlottetown" in the summary. It's true! Look it up!_

* * *

Casey had no idea how she ended up with one arm wrapped around Derek's shoulder, and the other around Jean's. Alright, so maybe she did know how she ended up like that, but she wasn't about to admit she let herself go "out of control." She felt ditzy and was on a high from the huge bash that she had endured over by the St. Lawrence. Maybe that's why she was singing Frère Jacques with Jean while they struggled down the deserted, cobblestone street.

After Derek, Jean and herself got sick of watching the fireworks, they had moved off so other onlookers could get a closer look, and was having a very interesting conversation about gas prices when one of Jean's friends handed him a beer.

When Jean offered them a sip, Derek had greedily accepted. He had taken a sip, shuddered, then handed it off to Casey expectantly. She had really wanted to refuse, and she would've, if Derek hadn't muttered, "She's not going to do it. She's too good for that." Well, she had proved Derek wrong. She took a huge swing, held her breath and swallowed it in one gulp.

After that, her hoarse voice didn't feel so hoarse anymore, and she felt full of energy. Of course, she was still responsible. It was completely dark, and she insisted Derek call their parents and let them know they were watching the fireworks. Nora and George wanted to come and get them, but Casey assumed Lizzie and Edwin had done some coaxing, because when Derek hung up the phone, he said they had to be back before twelve, which was a very lenient curfew.

After that, Jean had handed Derek and Casey two individual beers, and the more Casey sipped at it, the less horrible it tasted. She had only finished one bottle when she started feeling "hyper". It was only after Casey had started laughing at a "funny looking lamppost" did Jean decide he'd assist Derek and Casey back to their motel.

And that was that.

"Frère Jacques! Frère Jacques! Dormez vous!" Casey hollered. Her voice, combined with Jean's, echoed around the small and empty street.

"Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!" Jean sang. He pointed at Casey and she grasped an imaginary microphone.

"Din! Din! Don!" At Don she kicked a can with all her might and watched as it flew down the street, giggling slightly.

"Come on Derek!" She tightened her grip around his shoulders and leaned into him. "Let's hear that perdy voice of yours!" She choked out a small laugh as Derek sighed and rolled is eyes.

"Frère Jacques," he mumbled.

"What?!" Casey yelled. Derek turned, a smile lining his lips, grasped her neck and shouted, "Frère Jacques!" into her ear.

They walked on in silence, and when Casey stumbled once, Derek tightened his grip around her.

"I'll have you know that I don't need help walking," she sniffed, shrugging out of Derek and Jean's grip. She turned and stood in front of them, her hands on her hips. Derek shot her an incredulous look while Jean laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really?" Derek took a step forward. He was daring her, testing her.

"Of course. Unlike you, I've been baby since I was walking." Casey lifted her head and stared him right in the eyes.

"Really? Then walk in a straight line, hands at your side, no stumbling, and no tripping."

"What are you, a cop?" Casey snapped. However, she turned and put on foot in front of the other and took a careful step on the curb of the sidewalk. She made it as far as a meter before she tripped on her foot and fell backwards. Luckily, Derek was there to reach out and push her upright.

"I zink we should get 'er back, no?" Jean said, stepping forward and taking Casey's arm in his. This time Casey didn't complain. She rested her head on Derek's shoulder, her arm wrapping around his.

She couldn't really remember what happened after that. When they got back, Jean wished them good luck before leaving. Derek had guided Casey into their motel room, set her down on the bed before he walked to George, Nora and Marti's room to tell them they were back. Casey fell asleep after that.

* * *

It was horrible, the pain in her head. The aching was what woke her at the crack of dawn, and all she wanted to do was crawl into a dark hole and die. But she couldn't, so, still in her clothes from last night, she left the motel to get some ice, bringing a motel towel with her.

It was a cold night, and the icebox had to be on the other end of the motel's parking lot, of course. Casey was freezing as she scooped ice into her towel and wrapped it up in a bundle. She pressed it to her head and leaned forward, resting her hand on the top of the icebox so it supported her weight.

Someone grabbed her neck with ice cold fingers and she screamed, preparing to use Self Defence techniques. Her attacker spun her around, and she almost wanted to collapse with relief when she saw it was Derek.

He, of course, was grinning like an idiot, his eyes bright and mischievous.

"No," Casey moaned, slipping past Derek and shuffling back toward their room. "It's too early for this."

His cold fingers wrapped around her wrist and she stopped, waiting for him to do something. He surprised her, though, when his fingers lowered slightly so his pinkie finger could slide down into her palm. His finger started doing small, circular motions that calmed Casey, and seemed to make her headache seem like less of a pain.

He walked ahead of her and tugged her along behind him until they made it to the motel room.

Derek, once again, surprised Casey when he helped her down onto her bed, his hand not letting go of hers until she was lying on her back. As she tucked herself in, he held her bundle of ice until she held her arms out for it again.

As she placed the bundle on her forehead, she looked up into Derek's eyes. "Why are you helping me?" she asked.

"I know how bad a hangover can be," Derek replied, lowering himself down to the end of the bed. "And I know that the less you move, the less it hurts."

"I don't have a hangover," Casey snapped back. "I only had like, one bottle of beer…" her eyes fluttered shut for a second.

"Case, you really can't hold your liquor." The bed creaked as he lifted himself off of her bed. He patted her knee twice, saying, "One day I'll teach you," before he headed off to his own bed.

* * *

"How were the fireworks?" Nora asked happily as she passed a bag of McDonald's food down to Casey. One look at the bag and she felt like puking again, so she passed it off to Edwin in the backseat.

"They were great," Derek replied chirpily as he stole the bag from Edwin and shoved his hand into it, extracting a handful of fries. "Just mind-blowing, y'know? Absolutely shocking; just full of surprises. Ain't that right, Case? I mean, it wasn't like some girl just grabbed me and kissed me –,"

Casey flinched and turned away from Derek. Why did he have to bring that up? She moaned softly, putting a hand on her head and rubbed at it.

"—but it was good. We made lots of friends." In conclusion to his statement, he nudged Casey's shoulder.

"We had lots of fun, Smerek!" Marti chirped.

"Is that right?" Derek replied. Casey let out a sigh of relief when Marti started explaining how her day went. For now, she wouldn't have to worry about what Derek may think her intentions were for the past night.

For a long time the mini van thundered along the highway in silence. Edwin and Lizzie talked in hushed voices, while Derek and Marti were enthralled in a small game of cards; Nora and George were both pointing at different signs on the highway and muttering under their breath. So, Casey was left to her novel.

This wasn't a particularly bad thing, either. She didn't have nearly as much reading done as she had wanted to, and needed serious catching up.

She didn't know how long she stayed with her eyes glued to the pages of her novel when Nora made a huge commotion.

"Look, kids, we're crossing the Pierre Laporte Bridge!"

"Yay," Derek replied sarcastically. Casey rolled her eyes at Derek's retort before looking on, out the window.

The water glittered down below the bridge, the waves reflecting the sun. Casey sucked in a deep breath. It was official, now, that they were going to Charlottetown. Crossing the bridge gave slight relief to Casey, for some odd, unfathomable reason. They were driving into uncharted territory, where no one knew who they were, and because of that it felt like some stress had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She shook the feeling away and twisted in her seat, turning to speak to Derek. She had been going to say something snappy, some kind of retort. Or was she going to ask him something?

Whatever she was about to do, she had forgotten it as soon as she turned and looked at him.

The sun that was drifting through the window got caught in his hair, making the outline of his hair glow a gold-like colour. He was smiling at something Marti was saying, and the corners of his mouth were lined with slight dimples.

Everything seemed to go so slow. He seemed to know she was looking, because his eyes slid over to meet hers. Brown met blue, and at that precise moment something loud started pounding. It sounded like a hammer was knocking on a slab of concrete; it rung in her ears and vibrated through her limbs.

Her hand tightened around her other wrist and she squinted her eyes, unable to pull away. She could feel her pulse keeping rhythm with the pounding, and in that instant, in that horrific, intense instant, she knew what the pounding was.

"Oh my God," she breathed, pulling away and sinking in her seat. She entwined her fingers together, surprised that they were shaking slightly.

"Liz, can I borrow some water?" Casey asked, gesturing limply to the water bottle her sister was holding.

"Sure," Lizzie replied, handing it off to her sister. Casey fumbled with the lid slightly, pressing the opening to her lips.

The pounding had been her heart. Had it really been that loud? Why? Why had it done that? There had to be a plausible explanation besides… that.

She felt something cool slide down her chest and she glanced down. Heat flushed to her cheek when she realized she had spilt water on her top.

"Aw, what's the matter? Does Baby need a bib?" Derek teased, leaning forward, laughing lightly.

"Leave me alone," Casey hissed, shoving the bottle back into Lizzie's hand and turning to stare out the window. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit on her lip, gnawing back and forth.

When they arrived in Levis, it was raining slightly, pattering gently on the windshield. The sun had disappeared behind dark clouds and the road was slick with the rain.

The temperature had dropped a lot since the sun disappeared. It must have been about 20'C, which wasn't too bad for the rest of the family. Lizzie, Nora and Marti had smartly worn long pants. George and Derek had worn long pants, too. But did Casey? No. She had worn her favourite jean skirt and tee shirt, and was now shivering it out.

"Why's it so cold?" Casey asked. She kicked her shoes off and tucked her legs under her butt.

"It's been a cold summer," Nora replied. "I heard Toronto got some murderous thunderstorms and hail in late June."

"Yeah, and remember that tornado that touched down outside of London?" Edwin asked.

"I'm freezing!" Casey moaned. Nora glanced over her should at her daughter, frowning.

"Well, our suitcases are packed away, Sweetie. Can you bare it out, or do you want George to pull over so we can get you a sweater?"

"No, it's alright," Casey replied. The last thing she wanted was to delay poor George. He followed his little time schedule religiously, and he had already "sacrificed" a lot of time for the kids. She didn't want to sacrifice more.

"Derek, what're you doing?" Edwin murmured. Edwin had been quiet, but Casey heard him. She turned around to see Derek leaning over the back of his chair, into the trunk.

He pulled back a couple of minutes later, a bulky red hoodie in his hand. Casey raised an eyebrow when he shoved it towards her.

"What?" she asked.

"Aren't you cold?" he snapped, his brows furrowing. Casey tried to hide a smile as she took his sweater from him and slipped it on. She breathed in and smelt the faint scent of Derek in the fabric.

That was sweet, Casey thought, hiding her smile inside Derek's sweater. The end of the shirt came down to her knees, and she could already feel herself warming up.

Casey turned and met Derek's eyes.

"Thanks," she said. He smirked at her, one eyebrow raised, in reply.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**WOW! It's been, like, a month! This is a short chapter. I had horrible writer's block for this story (thus you can see from the lack of action) and I didn't know what to do.**

**Okay, I need some help. I want an "adventure" to happen in the next chapter, but I'm not sure what to do. Y'know, an adventure like the murderer at the side of the road, getting lost in Toronto, falling off a cliff – those kinds of things. If anyone has any ideas, go ahead and tell me, please!**

**Oh, and for those American readers who do not know how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, 20'C is about 68'F.**

**And those weather things they said – the hail, rain, thunderstorms and the tornado? All true. Toronto's getting a beating from the weather and a tornado did touch down outside of London.**

**ANYWAYS, review, me lovelies.**


	18. Beaumont

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 18: Beaumont**_

_**A/N**_: _I think I'm starting to realize how long this story's going to be. Er… it'll possibly be around 30 chapters. Crap!_

_Anyways, thank you to everyone who suggested ideas!! They were all fantabulous (did you know that's a real word??), so I tried to combine as many of them as possible. _

_And since I loved all of you guys' ideas, I think I'll use the ones I didn't use here later on in the story 3 So keep an eye out for that._

* * *

"Crap," was the word that snapped Casey out of her light nap. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around for the problem. Obviously, whenever that word was spoken in that sort of hushed, mumbled tone, the outcome was never good.

"Mm… George?" Casey asked, rubbing her eyes as she looked around. It was dark. Not dark, as in night time, but dark as in the sun was blocked out by monster clouds.

"What happened?" Nora asked in a muffled, slurred voice. Obviously she had dozed off, too.

George's head snapped over to look at his wife and he frowned, saying, "The car over-heated."

"Why?" Nora croaked as she sat up, leaning toward George. "I thought the mechanic would've fixed –,"

"No," George shook his head, "They probably overlooked the engine when we told them it was only a dead battery." He sighed, his hands sliding off the steering wheel.

"What? What's happening?" Casey asked, leaning forward. She wasn't much of a mechanic or a car-person, but an over-heated automobile sounded bad.

"Our car's over-heated," Nora repeated, looking at her daughter. "I think something must've happened back in Kingston," she said, raising an eyebrow. Casey swallowed and looked away, feeling guilty. The outcome of crashing into a ditch probably wasn't only a dead battery. Something must've happened to the engine, but it just went unnoticed.

"I better go see the damage," George muttered, shoving open the door as he walked out onto the dirt road.

_Wait, _Casey thought, furrowing her brows, _Dirt road?_

"Mom, where are we?"

"Beaumont," she replied. "George decided to take a detour through the farmlands to pass the traffic jam on the highway."

"What –,"

"What's going on?" Derek's voice asked. His head appeared over Casey's shoulder, and Nora explained the car's condition.

"I'm going to go see if George needs help," Casey suddenly said, pulling open the door and stepping out onto the country road.

"No, this job requires a _man_," Derek snapped, following after her. Casey ignored him and walked around the truck, meeting George who was hunched over the engine of the car, the hood popped up. Thick smoke emitted from the car's engine, and Casey waved the stink away from her face.

"Need any help, George?" she asked. Derek came barrelling in next to her, shoving by to lean into the engine, as well.

"So what's the verdict?" he asked, looking at his father. Casey cocked an eyebrow. No doubt Derek knew his stuff about vehicles, but did he know how to _repair _one? Casey doubted _that_.

"I think…," George began.

"Yeah?" Derek pressed. Casey took a step back when the smelly smoke puffed out and choked her.

"I think…. We need a mechanic."

"Great. Let's drive into whatever towns closest," Derek replied, clapping his hands together and smiling cheekily.

"No!" Casey replied, stepping forward. George and Derek turned to look at her curiously, perking their eyebrows. Derek had an annoyed face on while George looked confused.

"You can't drive an over-heated car!"

"Casey, it'll only be for a few –,"

"No, George! It could blow up! With all of us in it! We could die!" she yelled, throwing her hands up in the air for enthusiasm. Derek scrunched his face up while George settled back on the bumper of the car.

He turned to his son, mumbling, "Is she right?" in which Derek shrugged in return. Casey blew out a breath of air, putting her hands on her hips.

"It's better if a few of us stay here, and a few of us go get tow truck. Beaumont is just a few kilometres back, right?" Casey asked. George sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, and in the process smearing machine oil on his cheek.

"Yeah," he finally said. Nora appeared beside her husband, holding a book out.

"I think we can fix it… or at least get the steam down," she said, flipping through the pages.

"Where'd you get that?" George asked curiously, leaning over his wife's shoulder to look at the book.

She looked up at him, shooting him and incredulous look. "It was in the glove compartment. Didn't you _look _to see what was in the car before you rented it?"

George gave her a frowny-look that said, "No," and she sighed, continuing to flip through the pages.

"Derek, would you mind going to get that tow?" George asked, looking up from the book. Derek shot him a, 'you're-kidding', look, and George slumped, frowning at his son.

"Derek, would you –,"

"I could go," Casey spoke up, Nora and George looked at her, perking their brows. "Derek would just get lost, anyways," she said, shooting a smirk at Derek. He crossed his arms and his mouth fell open slightly.

"Really?" he snapped in a disbelieving tone. He took a step toward Casey, running his tongue over his lip.

"Yes, 'really'," Casey snapped, than turned her back on Derek, stopping him from any further insults. "Mom, can I have the map, please?"

Nora held the map out, frowning, as she said, "Casey, I don't really think you should –,"

"Give me the map," Derek muttered, snatching it from Nora's hands. He turned and started stalking off, but Casey chased after him and grabbed the map from him.

"_I'm _going!" she yelled. It wasn't about who was going anymore, it was now a fight over… nothing, really.

"No, _I'm _going," Derek replied gruffly, yanking the map.

"You didn't even want to go!"

"Well now I do. So go back to the car and wait for a _real _man to handle this situation."

"You didn't even care five minutes ago!" She yelled. They both began stalking away, toward the small town, while continuing to yank on the map.

"Fine! You can both go!" Nora yelled after them, but they probably didn't hear her over their cursing and arguing.

Derek frowned down at the map as Casey observed silently, a few feet away. His brow was creased as he mumbled under his breath.

This truly was a rare sighting, Casey decided. Derek was actually _using his brain_, and actually studying something and using _intelligence_.

"Okay, so we have to turn down…," he stuck up a finger and pointed toward a cornfield, "_that _road."

Casey sighed, her contemplative, observing thoughts vanishing. He was reading the map wrong, and she knew it.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, why?" Derek asked, looking up to his supposed "road". He frowned when he saw the cornfield, and turned back to the map.

"Let me see it," Casey sighed, tugging on it gently. Derek pulled the map from her grasp, looking at her with the hint of a smirk on his face.

"No."

"Derek! You're not reading it properly so let me see," she sighed.

"Nope," he snapped back.

"Did you even _pass_ grade 6 geography?" she snapped, rolling her eyes. Derek took a step back from her, holding a hand over his heart.

"Oh, how you hurt me with your cruel, cruel words." He whipped away a fake tear, and Casey took that as an opportunity to take a snatch at the map. Derek saw her and ripped it away as fast as he could, but she managed to grab a piece.

"Just let me see the map!" she yelled. Derek tore it from her grip, and for a second he thought she had let go, until they heard the ripping sound, and the other half of the map in Casey's hand.

"You're insufferable!" she yelled, scrunching the map into a ball and throwing it at Derek. He laughed, dodging it, as he watched her storm away.

"Well now we don't have a map, smart ass," he shouted after her retreating form. She faltered in her stepping, before she continued at a faster pace. He laughed, holding his hands out. "Aw, c'mon," he shouted, following her, "Don't be mad!"

Casey just growled in return.

"Stupid Derek," she muttered, "Why couldn't he just give me the map?" She kicked at a stone, watching as it skirted down the dirt road.

"I ought to –," something smacked into the back of her head with enough force to make it start throbbing. Her hands tightened into fists as she exhaled angrily. If Derek was throwing rocks at her –

Another heavy object smacked into her head and she twirled around, approaching a confused-looking Derek.

"What is your problem? I know your mad at me but is really necessary to throw rocks at me?"

"What?"

"Oh, don't play stupid with me!" she yelled, shoving his chest. He took a step back, holding his hands up to ward off any other attacks.

"Why are you going psychotic-Casey on me? I didn't do anything!"

"You just –,"

"Ow! What the hell was that?" Derek hissed, spinning around. He looked down the road, than peered up at the sky. Realization dawned on Casey as she took in the gray clouds and the cold temperature – it had long since dropped from 20'C.

"Hail," she mumbled. She grabbed Derek's arm, tugging it forward. "It's hail!"

Derek's eyes widened and his mouth moved without making any noise. He followed Casey dimly as she ran down the dirt road. From her memory of the map, Beaumont started about 6 kilometres away. That was quite a bit of distance, but the houses just outside of the town started 3 or 4 kilometres ahead.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Um…"

"You _don't know_?" he yelled. He took the lead in running, his hand sliding down to find hers as he tugged her along. She was slower then him – hey, she wasn't much of a gym person – but luckily Derek didn't ditch her. He kept his pace even with hers, staying slightly ahead.

Abnormally large hail pelted down on them at a quicker rate. It wasn't gigantic enough to form a concussion, but big enough to make it sting when they hit you. The ground became wet with the melted hail quickly, and soon enough the hail lightened up into smaller pieces mixed with rain.

"I – can't," puffed Casey, ripping her hand from his and stopping to hunch over, catching her breath. Derek stopped, turning to look at her form.

"Come on, Casey!" Derek hissed, tugging at her arm. She reluctantly let him guide her over to a tree in an old, rundown ranch's yard. Lightning cracked and thunder rumbled, causing Casey's head to pick up.

"Trees aren't safe places to be under in lightning storms," she said. Derek shrugged, gesturing to the pouring rain and hail outside the shelter of the trees branched.

"You want to go back out there?" he asked, his voice breaking. She looked into his brown eyes, finding them beneath his soaked bangs, and opened her mouth.

"Hey, you, Boy! Bring your bint in here!"

"Huh?" Casey and Derek both mumbled, looking around to the source of the noise. Casey found the woman first. She was leaning out of the old, rundown ranch's door, waving maniacally at them.

Casey glanced at Derek, sharing a look that stated, "Better then nothing," before they both rushed toward the old woman. She ushered them inside her old fashioned – and reasonably warm—house, shutting the door behind them.

"Now how'd you get caught out in that storm?" she asked. "Stayed out there any long and people would've thought ya'll escaped the chokey, what with ya'll huddled under a tree 'n all."

"Thank you, ma'am, for letting us stay here," Casey said, ignoring the woman's rant. She reached out a hand and shook the old woman's hand, smiling pleasantly. "I'm Casey McDonald."

"Margaret Bruilon," the woman said. She turned to Derek, smiling widely. "And this must be…?"

"Derek Venturi," Derek greeted, shaking Margaret's hand.

"Ya'll are welcome to stay here 'till the storm lightens up," she said. She waved her hand, gesturing for Casey and Derek to follow her. She led them down a hallway lined with old photos – mostly of a young woman and man.

Margaret pushed open a door and led them into the kitchen.

"How do you like your tea?" Margaret asked as Casey and Derek sat down at the kitchen table. Derek immediately started strumming his fingers on the surface, watching the woman pour a cup of tea.

"I don't drink tea," Derek stated. Margaret looked at Derek, her brows raised.

"What're you, daft?" she asked, setting the cup in front of Casey. Derek peered at the woman through narrowed eyes.

"Pardon?"

Margaret just sighed, shuffling over to her fridge.

"Would you like some dog and maggot, then?" she asked. Derek's mouth dropped and he glared at the woman.

"Is that some kind of old people's insult?" he asked. Margaret met Derek's glare, before shaking her head and slapping her forehead.

"Sorry, Boy. I used to be a nurse in the Cold War and sometimes I forget I use slang and not proper English." She smiled dimly. "Would ya'll like some 'bread and cheese', then?"

"Sure, I could go for some 'dogs', hold the maggots, though," Derek said. Margaret smiled, shaking her head as she turned to Casey. "This boy's a keeper."

"Uhh…"

"Let me get the axle grease." She took a step forward, then met Derek's gaze. "Which means butter. I'm not some old coot who puts junk on her bread." She reached into a cupboard as Derek turned to Casey.

"This Lady's crazy," he whispered. Casey peered at him over the rim of her tea cup. She set it down, frowning at him.

"Why?"

"Doesn't she realize we're in the 21st century? That was like, one hundred years ago. That slang isn't even _cool_ –,"

"Derek," Casey stated simply. "Don't insult her. It's like a French person insulting you because you say, 'small,' instead of 'petite'."

"Huh?"

"Well, I don't have any butter," Margaret said, shutting the cupboard. "But help yourself to some plain bread." She set a few slices of bread on a platter, than placed it on the table. Derek grabbed a piece and tore into it, stopping only when Margaret sat down in-between Derek and Casey.

"You two look a lot of old Nelson and me," she sighed. Turning her gaze on Casey, she smiled brightly. "We married in the spring of '46."

"How'd you meet?" Casey asked, leaning forward. Derek rolled his eyes, sighing, and looked away.

"Oh, the poor boy. He was 17 and got plugged in the leg. I was working at the hospital, only 16 years old, and it was love at first sight." Margaret sighed. "He had to go back to war, of course, but when the war finished we came and found me. Boy proposed to me right there in the middle of the hospital."

"How romantic," Casey sighed.

"More like disturbing," Derek muttered.

"Would you… like to see some pictures?" she asked. Casey nodded her head, and Margaret led the way out of the kitchen. Casey stood, grabbed Derek's wrist and pulled him along.

Margaret led the way into a small music room, with a piano, a couch and billions of photographs. The old woman grabbed one positioned on the piano and held it up to Casey.

"Our wedding day," she said. Casey took the framed photograph and smiled at the younger-Margaret and a handsome boy who had similar features as Derek – both had a devilish smirk and the same eyes full of mischief.

"Boy, you better propose to this girl, else you got cold feet," Margaret said, snapping Derek and Casey out of their dazes.

"She's uh…"

"We're not…"

"Ah," Margaret sighed, waving a hand with a smile on her face. "I know you youngins don't like marrying 'till your thirties. A waste of time, I think."

Casey sighed, placing the photograph back on the piano. That must've been the fiftieth person who assumed they were a couple, and frankly, she was getting sick of it.

"Oh!" Casey exclaimed. "Do you have a phone I could use? I've got to tell my Mom we're safe. Do you also have the number for a tow truck?"

"You'd best do that, 'fore your parent's think you're on the wire. The phone's in the kitchen, Bint. I've got a book full of numbers next ta'it. The tow number should be in there." Casey stood, and she saw Derek do the same, but Margaret pushed him back down into his spot on the couch.

"You go; I'd like to have a word with your Boy here." Casey looked at Derek, smirked, and left.

It took quite a bit of convincing before Nora believed they were safe and didn't need rescuing. Then Casey called a tow for her mother, who promised to stop the town outside of Margaret's house to pick them up.

When Casey got back to the music room, Derek had a dazed expression on his face, and in his hand was a photograph. Upon Casey's return, Margaret took the photograph and placed it back on the windowsill behind the couch.

Derek stood and walked over to Casey, nudging her shoulder.

"The storm's lightened up," Margaret said.

"We should go then," Derek replied. Margaret nodded and waved at the two teenagers.

"I hope we run into each other again, but at my old age I doubt it." Casey smiled and waved as well, before leaving the house to stand at the side of the road, waiting for her mom to come.

"So what'd Margaret talk to you about?" Casey asked, smirking at the memory of an old woman forcing Derek to have a 'chat' with her.

"I…, it's uh… private," he said, not meeting her gaze.

Casey's head turned to look at him, her eyes widening. His serious expression, however, stopped her from prodding him for more information.

One day she'd find out.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Finally a chapter that passed the 3,000 word mark! Sorry it took so long to get out. I was having a busy summer :P**

**Translations NOT explained by Margaret:**

**- Bint: Young woman **

**- Chokey: Jail **

**- Plugged: Shot**

**- On the wire: Dead**

**I should warn you all, though, that you won't learn what Margaret said to Derek for quite a while. Dun dun dunn….**

**So, reviews, please? As a belated present for Canada Day? Kidding ;) Not about the reviews, though.**


	19. Edmundston

**To Charlottetown**

_**Chapter 19: Edmundston**_

_**A/N**_: _Oh my God… -Blows away dust- It's been… wow, over a billion years since my last update. Can you tell I'm losing interest? But I'll try my best to finish it. I did NOT spend all that time thinking up of an ending to not get to it. I shall persevere!!_

_I've chopped down my guesstimate of the length of this story, and I now think it'll be MAX 25 chapters._

_By the way… this chapter sucks._

* * *

By the time they finally got on the road – about two days after they said goodbye to Margaret – Casey was sure this road trip was cursed. How could so many horrible things happen to them? Were they really that incompetent, or did they just have natural bad luck?

George had practically terrified the young mechanic after their car was fixed, demanding he look _everything _over and make sure they'd have _no more _problems with their car. The mechanic had insisted the car was now, officially, fine, and he seemed joyous to finally have the McDonald-Venturi's out of his shop.

Then there had been the financial troubles the trip was costing. George had revealed to the family that they had to make less pit-stops on the way – he really couldn't afford any other problems. He had promised that the next time they stayed in a hotel, it'd be in Charlottetown.

They had been driving for… how long had it been? Casey had lost track of time, indulging herself in her book. The car had been pelted by rain, and it was an oddly calming sound, despite how loud it was. It had lulled Casey into such a trance, that when the pelting rain ceased, it snapped her out of her reverie and made her look around.

She was surrounded by… _green_.

The hills that were surrounding the highway were so green it was like they were _glowing_.

"Where the hell are we?" Derek snapped, leaning forward. His voice cracked on multiple occasions, and judging by his dishevelled hair – one side was flattened, sticking up off his scalp – he had fallen asleep against the window, awoken by the strange, alien-like world they were in.

London was never, ever this green and beautiful.

"We're in Edmundston," George stated, his voice brimming with slight pride. Obviously he was proud of himself, and the distance he had covered without incident. Casey raised a brow.

"So we're out of Quebec now?" she asked.

"Yeah, we just passed the border, Sweetie," Nora added, craning her neck to look at her daughter. She added a smile to her words, obviously reflecting the light mood in the car.

Everyone was excited.

Casey nodded once, falling back against her seat. She felt a hot gust of air breathe against her neck, and she turned her head a fraction of a millimetre to see Derek looking at her. She moved her eyes to meet his, and saw his brows furrow, his eyes narrowed – almost as if he were thinking hard.

About what?

Casey looked away, goose bumps rising up on her arms. Derek turned away after that, and she felt as if a shining spotlight had been taken off of her. She exhaled quickly and pulled open her book again.

What _had happened _between Margaret and him? He was looking at her weird now… why?

Her grip tightened on her book and her brows furrowed. She read the same sentence over and over again, but couldn't comprehend the words. Not when she knew Derek was watching her.

She wanted to growl in frustration. Why couldn't he just tell her? Why couldn't he stop staring at her?

She glanced over at him again, to make sure he wasn't looking at _her_, but the way he was sitting, so his face caught all the light, setting his hair into a glow…

Okay, he was good-looking, Casey admitted. She knew this for quite sometime, but had never actually _seen_ it until recently. Still, just because she thought he was attractive, didn't mean she _liked _him or anything. He was _Derek_; rude, obnoxious Derek. There was nothing there, no way, not one thing –

She liked him.

There, she finally admitted it to herself. She mentally sighed. But he would never, ever… like her.

She would just grow up and get over her new-found crush and she'd live and she'd hold no regrets and…

_Stop staring, Casey,_ she scolded, looking away immediately, pulling open her book and read the same line she had been reading before.

"I was thinking," George began, interrupting her thoughts more then her reading. "About making a pit-stop… just a day-stop, though. No more hotels."

"Why the sudden change in heart?" Edwin asked, cocking a brow. George tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, shrugging.

"In all honesty, I feel like a jerk for being so hard on all of you before. It's not _really _you're faults for the bad luck we've been having. We can still have fun for a few hours in the towns we visit…," his voice trailed off and Nora reached over, appreciatively patting him on the back.

"So what's your plan for today?" She asked. George leaned forward slightly in his seat, shifting his weight as he kept his eyes on the road.

"I was thinking about stopping by Lake Madawaska."

"_Whyyy?_" Edwin asked, obviously unimpressed by the idea. Lizzie reached over and smacked him in the gut, her eyes narrowed.

"Don't you know how beautiful it is, Ed?" Casey asked, shooting her youngest stepbrother a pointed look. He shrugged as he miserably rubbed the place Lizzie had smacked him.

"But what would we do there?"

"Bask in the outdoorsy-ness?" Derek added on. Edwin and Derek looked at each other, than started laughing as if the idea was ridiculous and foreign to them. Lizzie rolled her eyes and Casey sighed as they both turned to look back at George and Nora.

"And I was thinking…," George continued, clearing his throat to get Edwin and Derek's attention. Casey noted how everyone leaned forward, waiting for George's next words. "We rent a couple of canoes, too!"

"Canoeing?" Lizzie said excitedly.

"Canoeing?" Casey repeated, less enthusiastically. She could see herself drowning.

"What's a matter, Case?" Derek teased lightly. "Afraid the Loch Ness Monster's gon'na get'chu?" He said in a babyish voice.

Casey rolled her eyes. "The Loch Ness Monster is in Scotland you imbecile. And no, I'm not afraid of some stupid mythical creature." She exhaled, and turned away from him.

"Then it's settled… I think?" George asked, looking over at Nora.

"Yeah, I'm in," Lizzie said at once.

"Me too! I've never been canoeing before!" Marti agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Edwin said.

Derek and Casey grumbled their agreements, and they were off to Lake Madawaska.

* * *

Casey fidgeted in the big, stupid, puffy lifejacket they had rented at the canoe rental shop. George had gotten three canoes and after some bargaining, got all of them for the price of two.

Lizzie and Edwin claimed their canoe and their partnership as the Venturi-McDonald's were driving the short road from the shop to Lake Madawaska. Marti was to go with Nora and George, which left… Casey and Derek.

Casey swallowed and tried not to think about her admission. He was just Derek, and though she admitted there was some physical attraction between them, he was still Derek. Annoying, stupid Derek.

Of course, Nora and George had been apprehensive. Could they behave? But after some convincing on Derek's part, they agreed to it. After all, the two had been getting along better recently, and their original worries were, for the most part, almost gone. Almost.

When they arrived and pulled down into the docks, nothing could prepare Casey for the pure brilliance and beauty of Lake Madawaska. Sure, she had seen pictures in textbooks and on postcards, but experiencing it in real life? It was breathtaking, and this was coming from someone who wasn't nature-savvy. In fact, Casey was almost convinced Mother Nature found pleasure in making Casey so incompetent in the wilderness.

The lake was big, and blue; with hills rolling up out of the water, and trees lining the hills. The sun hit the water just right, so the waves sparkled as they came to par.

George unloaded the canoes from the top of the minivan while Derek unloaded the oars and the little orange capsules that came with safety supplies for each canoe in case you capsized or got stranded.

George helped Lizzie and Edwin get into their canoe – more Edwin though, as Dennis has taken Lizzie and Casey canoeing once before. Casey had stayed safely on shore, but Lizzie had jumped at the idea to canoe. Casey watched, unaware someone had stopped and stood next to her until they spook.

"Scared?" Derek asked. Casey perked a brown and scoffed.

"No." She turned and crossed her arm as she stared at him.

"Well you should be." He lifted his brows suggestively and Casey's lips curled as she shook her head in disgust. Derek laughed and patted Casey roughly on the back.

"You'll see," was all he said. Then he walked forward, dragging their canoe into the water. He hopped in, picking the oars out of the bottom of the canoe and sat down on the little wooden bench at the front of the boat.

Casey followed and stepped into the canoe, putting all her concentration into not falling over on the wobbly boat. Derek used his oar to push off the dock barely seconds after she sat down. He passed her an oar and began rowing.

"Um, Derek?" He looked up at her threw his lashes, a sigh escaping his lip. Casey looked away as she held her oar daintily in her lap.

"How do you row?"

"You're joking, right?" he asked, sitting upright as he put his own oar on his lap. Casey looked away, feeling her cheeks warm ever so slightly.

"Jeeze Case, it's not rocket science." He put his paddle back in the water and pushed the canoe forward with a simple motion.

Casey tried to mimic his actions, slapping the water with her paddle and spraying Derek in the face. She stabbed the water with her paddle, even slapped it. By the time she was done, Derek's bangs were plastered to his forehead.

"Obviously that's not right," Casey mumbled. Derek breathed in sharply, reaching forward and grabbing her fingers. He put his oar down in the canoe and grabbed her other hand.

At that moment, Edwin and Lizzie's canoe floated by and they had the nerve to whistle and catcall at them.

"_Lovebirds are holding haaaands!"_ Edwin called from his place about 50 metres away from Casey and Derek's canoe.

"Edwin I'm going to pummel you!" Derek yelled back. Lizzie's laughter floated back to them as they sailed past Casey and Derek's stilled boat.

"Now look," Derek said, holding up her oar. He put her hands into the proper positions, than fixed her arms so the paddle was held in the right way. Then he leaned forward on his knees and showed her the proper motion to row.

Casey rowed a couple of time, propelling the canoe forward slightly as Derek watched he movements with a dissecting gaze. She squirmed under his gaze, and swallowed the uncomfortable feeling rising in her throat.

But after awhile she got the hang of it, and Derek began rowing with her. But then the boat began turning in circles.

"Why's it doing that?!" Casey asked, lifting her oar out of the water. Derek let out a girly shriek.

"It must be the Loch Ness Monster!" he gasped. Casey reached forward and smacked his shoulder with her oar, then pointed a finger threateningly at him.

"You stop! Monsters don't exist."

"That's what they all say…," Derek murmured. He dropped his oar to the floor of the canoe and made claws with his fingers. "… Before it comes and EATS YOU!" He reached forward and tickles her sides. Casey reeled away, flinging herself to one side of the canoe to try and escape his fingers.

Bad move.

The canoe rocked to the side Casey had flung herself, and the water was coming up real fast…

She screamed and Derek grabbed onto the opposite side of the canoe, using his weight to force the other side back down. The boat rocked back into its proper positioned, moving unevenly from side to side.

"Okay, that was a bad move," Derek murmured.

"YOU THINK?" Casey yelled. She reached forward and smacked him. Then she smacked him again for good measure. "If we'd have fallen in there I'd have killed you!" She smacked his head, then crossed her arms angrily.

"It was fun!" Derek insisted, laughing at her reaction as he rubbed at the spots she had hit him.

"Fun for you!" Casey hissed angrily. Derek sighed; rolling his eyes, then reached forward and grabbed her fingers. His thumb moved over the back of her hand and she quickly uncrossed her arms, extending her arm to better accommodate his actions.

"I'm sorry, okay?" She looked at him, but there wasn't a hint of sarcasm of playfulness in his voice. She frowned, her lips quirking downward.

"Okay."

"I didn't realize you couldn't swim." This time, his voice was teasing and she ripped her hand away from him, glaring daggers at him.

"Ugh, let's just ignore each other and start rowing."

"Yes ma'am," Derek saluted and picked up his oar. Casey bent down to retrieve hers only… it wasn't there.

"Um… Derek, where's my oar?" She looked over the edge of the canoe, into the dark caverns of the lake and grimaced.

Had it dropped?

"You're screwed," Derek said, elegantly as ever.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**YAY! Comments are welcome! Tell me how much you hate/miss me, and how much you want to kill me for not updating sooner.**

**Hopefully the next chapter will come out sooner then this one did.**

**Oh, and this chapter really sucked, no?**


	20. Fredericton

**To Charlottetown**

_**Chapter 20: Fredericton**_

_**A/N**_: _Uhhhhrrrrrr…. *smiles guiltily*_

_Let's just get onto the story then, shall we?_

* * *

"Oh my God, Derek, what are we going to do?" Casey screamed, her hands flying to lock onto the sides of the canoe. It began rocking back and forth because of her frantic movements, and Derek lurched forward, grabbing her forearms.

"Stop it!" he hissed, his eyes big. He doubted Casey heard him in the first place. She was busy doing calming exercises, which included inhaling and exhaling at inhuman speeds.

Her body heaved as she breathed in and out. The boat rocked back and forth and Derek grabbed the only remaining oar, bonking her lightly on the head with it.

She blinked a couple of times, than glared at him.

"What was that for?"

"For being an idiot! Hey, instead of doing your weird little breathing things, why don't you help me paddle back to shore, huh?"

"With what, my hands?" she barked rudely. Derek stared at her for a moment, than a grin broke out across his face. Casey's eyes widened.

"Good idea."

"No, no no! My hands are not going near that… deep… scary… dark water, where there could be huge fish the size of your ego swimming around, and then, who knows how many people drowned? They could –,"

"Casey? Shut up." He added "please" as an afterthought, then used his oar to try and direct them back to shore. It was difficult, and by the time he was sweating and gasping for air, they had only moved about 40 meters, and were still stranded in the middle of the lake.

"Your turn," he gasped, throwing the paddle onto her lap. She grabbed it before it could slip off and fall into the lake, like the other one.

"What?" she gasped. "Me? You want me to row?"

"You can do it," he said, rubbing at his arm. "Just remember what I taught you."

"Derek –,"

"Casey." Their eyes met. She frowned.

"Okay," she mumbled, dipping the paddle into the water. He exhaled, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

She used as much energy as she could while paddling, which was pretty much wasted because they only went around in a circle.

"Well, that was a waste," she gasped, holding the paddle out, "Your turn again."

"Yeah, that was a waste," Derek began, reaching for the paddle, "You're not really meant for –," Something hit the boat (Or the boat hit something) and it rocked onto its side. Casey flailed, screaming in surprise as she tried not to fall into the water.

Derek gripped the edge of the boat that was in the air and pushed all his weight onto it. It flopped back down onto the water and he spread his arms to disperse his weight equally on the boat.

Casey did the same, exhaling heavily. After they sat there for a good five minutes or so, Derek unlocked his arms from the boat.

"What hit us? A fish? A monster? A dead sailor washed out to sea?" Casey's eyes were wild as she said that.

"Casey, we hit a rock." He pointed to the little piece sticking out of the water.

"Oh, well, don't blame me for having an imagination." Derek smiled a little.

"Where's the oar?" he asked.

"Oh," Casey looked at the bottom of the boat. She knew she had dropped it here when the boat lurched forward. So why was the bottom of the boat empty?

"Don't tell me you dropped it," Derek said, slapping a hand to his face. "Casey, you are so helpless, I _swear _one day I'm going to –,"

"Found it," Casey said darkly.

He opened his eyes and saw Casey pointing to the rock that had hit their boat. He leaned over to look over the edge of the canoe, and saw the paddle sitting on one of the rock's shelves, under water, rocking back and forth in the currents.

"_Grab it_," he whispered.

"What?"

"Grab it!" Casey's eyes practically boggled out of her head. The boat was moving away from the rock and Derek reached in, using his hands to propel the boat toward it again.

Casey made a face, looking away as she dipped her fingers into the water. She reached down, down into the water, and still couldn't reach it.

"Lean over," Derek instructed.

"I don't need you yelling at me right now!" she hissed through clenched teeth, reaching deeper so her shirt got wet, too.

"Deeper," Derek said, "It looks like its four feet down."

Casey made a face, looking at Derek desperately.

"I can't reach it."

"Yes you can."

"Okay," she looked up, "Sit on the other side of the boat, so when I lean over the boat won't tip." Derek nodded, positioning himself at the far end of the boat. Casey leaned over again, going on her knees and reaching in. Her hair flopped over, into the water, and the whole front of her shirt was getting wet.

"Got it," she called, pulling out of the water with the soaked paddle.

"Good job!" Derek cheered, grabbing it from her. Casey froze, staring at Derek.

"What was that?" She asked, putting a hand to her ear. "I don't think I heard right. Did Derek just praise me?"

"Yes, Derek did," he replied, smiling at her. She grinned widely as he began paddling again. "You're not totally helpless, I guess," he added. Casey reached over and smacked him. He stuck his tongue out childishly.

* * *

So, it was safe to say they made it out of the Dreadful Lake Madawaska safely, with one paddle.

The McDonald-Venturi's were back on the road, and once more, the shenanigans of the family started up. Marti was screaming "Barbie Girl" at the top of her lungs, and Lizzie was in a heated debate with Edwin about… something, Casey couldn't really hear what about. Derek was sitting in the passenger seat, directing George, which Casey that was a bad idea. Derek couldn't even _read _a map for all it was worth. Nora was sleeping in Derek's spot, exhausted from the family's "trip."

Casey, herself, was trying to read her book, but the distractions and noises of her family were enough to keep her from reading.

She sighed and put it in the little pocket on the back of the passenger seat chair. What else was there to do, but stare at the window?

She watched the unfamiliar world of New Brunswick pass by.

* * *

It must've been a few hours until they entered a bustling city and not a small town again. Casey's deprived shopping senses kicked into overdrive and she tapped Derek on the shoulder.

"Where are we?"

"Fredericton," Derek replied. Casey was subtly impressed that he had followed the map, and also how he had convinced George not to stop at Grand Falls to see the gorge.

But she wasn't about to reflect on that. She had 50 bucks in her pocket, and the itch to shop was stronger then ever.

"_Mooooom_?" Casey began, twisting in her seat to look at her mother. Derek swivelled around, glaring at her.

"No, we are not going shopping!" he hissed. Casey waved a hand at him.

"Mom, can we please pull over and go shopping please please?" she asked. Nora looked drowsily at her daughter, than leaned forward.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Fredericton," Casey replied quickly. "Do you know how many amazing clothing stores they have here?" she added excitedly. "Some top-of-the-line stuff that London won't get for another few months. Mom, pleeease!"

"George?"

"Well," George began, "We are ahead of schedule since we didn't stop in Grand Falls."

"Is that a yes?" Casey prodded.

"No!" Derek yelled.

"Yes," George agreed.

"No?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe!" Marti chirped up from the back.

"Wait, is that a yes or a no?" Nora asked. George laughed.

"Yes, we'll stop."

"Nooo!" Derek cried.

"Ahaha!" Casey laughed evilly. Derek crossed his arms and pouted as George pulled over. The family climbed out and George paid the parking fee. Then they dispersed into groups after they set up a meeting time and place. Edwin, George and Derek, Nora and Marti, and Casey and Lizzie.

Casey and Lizzie walked around downtown, marvelling over some odd designer fashions, and they'd occasionally stop in front of historic buildings and take pictures with a camera they bought at a Tourist Shop.

Afterwards, they found themselves in a little trinket shop. Lizzie got a few things for herself, Edwin and Marti, while Casey simply browsed.

"What do you think of this?" Casey asked, holding up a shirt that said, 'Kiss Me, I'm Canadian.'

"Perfect for Derek," Lizzie laughed. Casey joined in, but after Lizzie said that, she wondered if she should buy it for him… He'd probably just wear it as a PJ top, but still…

"How about this for Edwin?" Lizzie interrupted, holding up a shirt that said, 'What's That Smell?' in big, green lettering. Casey laughed.

A few minutes passed by, and Casey glanced at what he sister was buying. Most of it looked like it'd go to Edwin.

"So, you and Ed are getting close, huh?" she began.

"So, you and Derek are getting close, huh?" Lizzie countered, smiling up at her sister.

"Touché."

Lizzie put down a shirt and picked up another one. "Yeah, I guess we're getting close," Lizzie said distractedly, not meeting Casey's eyes, "But that's nothing out of the norm. We've always been close."

"But me and Derek," Casey continued, "Us being close is not normal."

"No, but it's good," Lizzie said. "You two have chemist—,"

"Do not finish that sentence," Casey threatened.

"Hmm," Lizzie murmured, "Are you afraid because it's true?"

"Stop meddling with the forbidden," Casey snapped. Lizzie smiled.

"You're not denying you like Derek?"

"When did this conversation get from 'chemistry' to me liking him? Liz, you've got serious mental issues if you think I could ever like that pig," Casey lied. Her voice wavered and she looked away from her sister. She heard Lizzie sigh.

"You know I can tell when you're lying," she murmured. Casey spun, grabbing her sister's arms.

"Don't speak a word of anything to anyone of anything your thinking, okay?"

"Was that in English?" Lizzie asked. Casey groaned, rubbing her head as Lizzie slyly grinned.

"So you like him?" Lizzie asked. Casey looked down at her sister, her mouth falling open a little. She trusted her sister with her life, so she could keep a secret, couldn't she?

"Can you keep a secret?"

* * *

"A palm reader!" Edwin said, thought it sounded more like, "A fawmf weaderf," since he was eating a foot-long hot dog.

"Chew, then talk," George said. Derek laughed.

"Yeah right," he said, "You can drop the whole 'parental' act now that Nora's not around." George gave him a dangerous look.

"I said a palm reader," Edwin said, pointing to the window. "Let's go in and look around."

"I've got to buy Nora something," George said, "So there's no time to stop."

"Dad!"

"No, I don't trust you alone in this weird city."

"I'll go with him," Derek said, "its better then shopping for some girly jewellery."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel _relieved?_" George barked. "No."

"Dad," Derek sighed, putting a hand on his father's shoulder, "Just trust us this once, okay? We'll meet you here in half hour."

George glared at him.

"Fine, but if you do _anything _you'll be grounded for months," he said, than marched off down the street.

"Good job, Bro," Edwin complimented, smacking Derek's arm. Derek looked down at the mustard stain Edwin smeared there.

"See this? This is you paying for me to get into this stupid shop," he said, pointing at the stain. Edwin groaned, and took out another ten dollar bill.

They walked into the shop and the smell of dust and old wood and antique filled Derek's nostrils. He coughed.

"Its worse then your room," Edwin commented, poking at some unrecognizable squishy goo on the floor.

"Ha-ha," Derek murmured with no humour in his voice.

"Where is this 'Madam Sienna' anyway?" Edwin asked, reading off a poster that hung over the cashier.

"Behind you," a deep, womanly voice said. Derek turned and saw a blond, gypsy-like woman with lose robes on. She smiled when she had their attention.

"Welcome," she greeted. "You want your palm read?"

"Yeah."

"Nine Fifty per customer," she said while smiling, taking position behind the cash register. Edwin handed her the two tens and the old machine dinged when Madam Sienna put the money in.

"Follow me, sirs," she said, pulling back a midnight blue curtain with stars on it, revealing a small room covered in pillows. Candles were burning around the room, and Derek wanted to barf from the strong smell.

"Incense gets the mind flowing," Madam Sienna whispered, inhaling loudly. She sat down on a cushion and gestured for the brothers to sit in front of her, across the table.

"_Someone's _on crack," Derek breathed into Edwin's ear. He smiled as he sat down, but Madam Sienna shot Derek a dirty look.

"I'll ask you to stop insulting people before you know them, _Edwin_." The real Edwin started to laugh.

"Hush, _Derek,_" she said in her deep, husky voice.

"Ma'am, you got our names mixed up, but thanks for trying." She frowned.

"I'm not a fake, if that's what you're thinking."

"It's not what I'm thinking," he said. It was.

She turned purposely away from Derek and reached over for Edwin's hand.

"Let's begin, shall we?" she whispered, tracing Edwin's lifeline.

"That tickles," he murmured, shifting a bit. Derek smiled a little. Probably the first time a girl held his hand.

"Ah, there's a woman in your life," she began. Derek snorted, but both Edwin and Madam Sienna ignored him. "Such a true love, and at such a young age, too. Many do not know such a love for their whole lives, Derek," she said, stroking Edwin's hand. Apparently she doesn't listen when you tell her she's got your names wrong.

"I see a future for you two, intertwined with such passion, such strength…," she shook her head, like it was almost unbelievable. "But there's one final push you must overcome. Ah, the scrutinizing eyes of everyone around you. Are you afraid to follow your heart, Derek?" Madam Sienna said. He looked over at the blonde, and a pang of fear rolled down his spine when he realized she had been staring at him the whole time.

"Really?" Edwin said, his eyes tightly closed as if he were trying to picture this weird image Madam Sienna was conjuring up. "Could you name the girl? Because there's not really any girl in my life at the moment…,"

"Yes, let me see," she closed her eyes as well, and began humming. Weird.

"Ah," she said, five minutes later, "I see it. Yes, it's coming to me."

"Well?"

"Her name," Madam Sienna said, "is Casey."

* * *

_**I think this is a good place to end it, oui? **_

_**Well, I'm sorry it took half a year to update! Hopefully I'll finish this story before the One Year Anniversary of it's publishing date XD**_

_**Review please, all you wonderful reviewers!**_

_**This story is finally coming to a close, me thinks.**_


	21. Bayfield

**To Charlottetown**

_**Chapter 21: Bayfield**_

_**A/N**_: _This is the third last chapter. The last chapter will come SOON I promise you all. Well, I promise it'll come before 2010 :D_

* * *

"_Casey?!" _Edwin and Derek both choked. Edwin ripped his hand out of Madam Sienna's, his face pale. It looked like he was going to be sick. Derek felt light-headed, and he looked at Madam Sienna for answers.

She smiled.

Derek frowned.

Edwin looked like he was going to pass out.

"Is there a problem?" Madam Sienna said slyly. She looked up at Derek.

"That's our stepsister," Derek said, pushing his hair back. Madam Sienna shrugged her shoulders.

"So?"

"So –,"

"Hush," she said, "And don't you dare say you can't be together because of that."

"Are you talking about me or Derek now?" Edwin asked. "Because it's Derek that's in love with her, not me! Dude, I'm not encroaching on your territory!" Edwin shot up, stumbling over a pillow.

"What did you say?" Derek hissed, grabbing the front of Edwin's shirt. Madam Sienna watched with her brows raised.

"I-I, I said that you –,"

"Hush children, I don't want to be responsible for any damage done between you," she ushered them out of the room. Edwin walked ahead, and when he was far enough so he couldn't hear their conversation, Madam Sienna grabbed Derek's arm and yanked at it so she could whisper in his ear.

"You're led by the opinions of others," she mumbled. Derek turned his head slightly so he could hear her better. "You'll lose her if you continue to ignore what's there."

He looked into her eyes.

"There's nothing there," he said, stepping away from her. "Nothing."

* * *

"Back on the road," Casey sighed as she clambered into the minivan. Lizzie smiled wearily at her sister as she buckled her seatbelt.

"You're finally getting sick of all this travelling?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Does anyone want some chocolate?" Marti chirped from her backseat spot. Casey looked over at her, about to say something, but stopped dead when she saw the huge bag of chocolate on the little girl's lap.

"Mom! You let her get all of this?! Do you know what it'll do to her teeth?!" Casey gaped at her mother, and Nora looked up tiredly.

"She threatened that she'd start crying… in the middle of the store! People would think I was a bad parent!"

"_Mom!"_ Casey groaned, rolling her head back. Lizzie laughed a little, taking the piece of chocolate Marti offered her and shoving it in her mouth. She was a health nut, sure, but sometimes she could eat chocolate; especially on a stressful family road trip.

"Here come the boys," Nora commented, to respectfully dodge the lecture Casey was probably forming in her mind about healthy eating and snacking.

George climbed into the passenger seat, since it was Nora's turn to drive, and Derek got into his spot in the back. Edwin stood outside, staring at Lizzie.

"Can I sit in your spot, Casey?" he asked, looking at her with big, pleading eyes.

"No," she said, making a face. "Why?"

"Oh… I think I'm going to puke again, from all that incense. Right, Derek?" Edwin said.

"Incense?" Casey repeated. "Where did you go that had _that?"_

"They wasted twenty bucks on a palm reader," George commented, turning to look at the children. "Now get in the car, Ed."

"_Daaad _I'm going to puke, and Casey's not being –,"

"Casey? Could you switch, just for now? Please?" Nora asked from the front. She mentally added, '_So we can get to P.E.I. before I turn 50.'_

"Fine! But this is the last time, do you hear me?" She snapped, unbuckling her seatbelt and squeezing in-between Derek and Marti.

"Yeah, yeah," Edwin murmured, not paying attention, "Whatever." He got into Casey's seat and slammed the door shut, immediately leaning in to whisper to Lizzie.

Casey sighed, looking over to Derek.

"Did the palm reader say anything interesting?" she asked, trying to make conversation. Derek looked at her, his eyes wide.

"No, of course not. Palm reader's are fakes, you should know that," he said, then he looked out the window.

"What did –,"

"I'm not really in the mood to talk, okay?!" Derek snapped. He didn't even bother to look at her when he said that.

A pang of disappointment washed over her.

"Oh," she murmured, glancing away. She didn't want him to see how upset she was. He was acting like his normal self, like how he had acted back in London. She shouldn't have expected his kindness to last for much longer.

So that's how she found herself playing 'rock paper scissors' with Marti, which wouldn't be so upsetting if they hadn't been playing it for 2 hours straight.

Casey flexed her hand when Marti decided it was time for a break. The little girl reached into her bag and pulled out a block of chocolate. She popped it in her mouth, and Casey leaned back, closing her eyes.

* * *

It was nearly an hour later, and the car was filled with silence. Edwin and Marti were both sleeping soundly, so the loud gasp that came out of George made everyone jump.

Derek's head snapped up so fast he must've gotten whiplash. He tiredly mumbled, "Wha? Did we hit something?!"

Nora had a hand over her mouth as she whispered, "Oh my God…,"

"What? What's happening?" Casey asked, panic bubbling in her voice. She leaned as far as the seatbelt would let her, trying to peer out of the windshield.

And that's when she saw it.

"I can't believe it," George whispered. His voice wavered, like he might start crying. "I never thought we'd get here… _never_." One of his hands started whipping furiously at his eyes.

_Is he actually crying? _Casey thought.

"Dad…, are you crying? What's happening?" Edwin asked.

"I'm not crying!" George yelled. "I'm just so happy. It's… it's beautiful."

"What is?!" Derek hissed. "Can someone keep me in the loop here?"

"We're at the Bridge," Casey said, turning to look at Derek. His eyes met hers and something flipped inside her.

"What bridge?"

"The Confederation Bridge. The one that leads to Prince Edward Island." She would've expected to see Derek cheer, or at least _smile_, but the frown on his face only deepened.

"Oh," was all he said. His behaviour confused Casey. After spending days cramped in a rental van which kind of stunk, _anyone _would've been happy to see the bridge that led to their freedom. Honestly, just a few more hours until they got to Charlottetown and the only expression Derek could put on was a _frown?_

Weird. Really weird.

There was a bit of traffic, but by the time their van was actually on the bridge Casey felt like crying, too.

After all they had been through… after the rollercoaster of emotions, the awakenings inside of her, the lessons learned… they were finally here. They were finally entering PEI. After all of their adventures, the pressure felt like it was being released from her shoulders.

"Oh no, Casey's gonna start crying too," Derek whined. Casey smiled a little bit, her vision going blurry. Yes, she was going to start crying. She just couldn't believe they were finally here, in PEI!

She stared out the window, watching the waves of the Atlantic Ocean as their van drove down the Confederation Bridge. She wished she could've filmed this moment, to record all the happy faces in the car.

Everyone was smiling, and –

Well actually, not _everyone _was smiling. She glanced at Derek and looked hurriedly away when she realized he had been watching her, too.

"Does anyone want chocolate to celebrate?" Marti asked, holding her bag up. Edwin, Lizzie and George took some. They were all grinning like crazy.

Casey glanced at Derek again, keeping her gaze on him since he wasn't looking at her. What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he smiling?

"Derek," Casey whispered. She hoped no body would hear even though it was unlikely they would. They were all deep in conversations about what they'd do in Charlottetown.

He turned and looked at her, his brows raised.

"What?"

"What's up with you?" she asked. "Why aren't you excited?"

"I didn't know there was a law that said I had to be. I can be whatever the hell I want to be." He looked away, but Casey socked him in the arm.

"De-rek!" she groaned. "I _know _you well enough to know there's something on your mind."

He was quiet, so she took it that she struck a nerve in him.

"Well?" she prodded.

"Well what?" he snapped.

"Well you better tell me what's wrong, that's what," she said, narrowing her eyes. His eyes swept over her face, than he turned away, biting on his finger.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing if it's bothering you." She was quiet for a moment, than she shifted closer to him.

"If uh… If you need to talk, or confide in someone, I'm he—,"

He spun sharply, holding his hands up.

"Don't _even _do that!" Casey's eyes widened at his tone of voice. "Don't even pretend you're my little confide-o buddy or something." He turned away again, crossing his arms as he glared out the window.

All the occupants in the van were watching them, so she didn't say anything further. She would, however, figure out what was wrong with him. He was a jerk, sure, but he wasn't usually this rude. Something was eating away at his mind.

* * *

**_A short chapter, but the next one will be out really soon. How I know? Because I'm working on it right now. This is more of a build-up chapter. The next one should be interesting! A confession perhaps? Hmmmm._**


	22. Borden Carleton

**To Charlottetown**

_**Chapter 22: Borden-Carleton**_

_**A/N**_: Second last chapter, guys! I just have to say something though. You guys are amazing for reviewing my story :D Words cannot describe how happy hearing from you all makes me, and I want to apologize that I don't get around to review-replying. Just wanted to let you all know how much it means that you take the time to review :)

* * *

Did you ever notice how much a beacon the McDonald's sign is? Seriously. After travelling for days and days, the big McDonald's 'M' logo brought a sense of familiarity and homey-ness.

Or so Casey thought. She wasn't even sure if she was making sense. The excess amount of grease and fumes in the air must've been getting to her head, she concluded.

"Can I help you?" the blonde teen behind the counter asked, interrupting her inner-narration. Nora stepped forward with Marti pinned to her side, eyeing the menu.

Casey looked over her shoulder at George, Lizzie, Edwin and Derek, all sitting at two booth tables.

Her eyes swept over each of their faces; George was ecstatic. She swore she could still see tears of joy in his eyes for finally arriving in Prince Edward Island. Edwin was bouncing in his seat and Lizzie was all laughs and smiles to everything he said to her.

Derek? He was still moody and miserable. A pang of some sort of emotion washed up her spine and she looked away.

What was wrong with him? Was he feeling sick, tired, depressed? Did someone say something to him? She immediately washed that idea away. People's opinions about him were never taken to heart.

As Nora recited the carefully memorized orders by everyone in the family, Casey glanced over her shoulder at Derek again, frowning.

He caught her gaze and for a moment, everything faded to black except for his eyes, his face… Nothing seemed to matter except him, and what was wrong with him.

She blinked, and he sucked in a deep breath. For a second it looked like he was going to puke. But then he raised his hand and motioned to the exit.

What, was she supposed to leave? What? What did he want? Did he forget something in the car?

He got up from the table and headed outside, his hands buried deep in his pockets, his head down.

Did he want her to follow him?

His head lifted and he casted her a meaningful glance, and in that instant she knew she had to follow him.

She walked towards the exit. A bubble of relief was washing over her. Finally he was going to tell her what was wrong.

Casey saw him, off to the side of the parking lot. As she got near, the sight of him and the knowledge that he _needed _her, if only for that moment, set her heart on fire.

Her knees felt weak when she finally got to him, her expression full of curiosity. She wanted to reach out and touch him, because something was seriously wrong with him. Something was bothering him.

Derek must've realized how close they were standing, because he took a giant step back. Still, when he exhaled the breath he had been holding it gusted across her face.

"Derek?" Casey whispered. His eyes darted everywhere but her face. A minute passed. Then another. He sucked in another deep breath and closed his eyes for a second.

"Do you remember Margaret?" he asked.

It took a second for her to remember the kind old lady who had taken them out of the rain storm, all the way back in Beaumont.

"Yes."

"Do you remember when she took me aside?"

"Yes." Casey felt like she was being interrogated.

He exhaled again, looking away.

"She told me… _things._" There was a moment of silence, like that bit of information was supposed to be the meaning of life or something.

"What kind of _things_?" Casey asked.

"Things that I… I thought she was crazy for even bringing them up. But then… everything changed, especially with, well… and its sort of—,"

"Derek? I'm really not following you here."

"I know, just give me a minute." He breathed out again. His eyes flashed open, going directly to her eyes.

"Casey?"

There was something heavy in his voice, something deep and meaningful and husky. She liked it.

"Yes?" she breathed.

"Margaret said we… we're something special. That a relationship like ours is hard to find."

"Yeah I know," Casey laughed, "We're not exactly best friends."

"No," his eyes darkened like she wasn't getting him. "She said I love you."

There was a long moment of silence. Something fluttered in her stomach.

"And… and do you?" Another pause. Derek shifted, his hands burying deeper in his hoodie.

"I shouldn't. All of this is crazy, but… when I look at you – when I looked at you, I felt something, especially on this road trip and I don't know what it is but whatever it is, I just… I don't," he groaned in frustration, turning away.

Casey was rooted to the spot. She should say something, like, '_I like you too' _would be good, or maybe, '_I love you.'_

But Derek lifted his hands, smiling darkly.

"It's okay though. I think I'm over it."

"O-Over it?" That fluttery feeling in her gut suddenly turned into a thousand-pound weight, and it fell deep in her stomach.

"Yeah, but it's good that way. Whatever that was… it's not like you felt the same way. It was," he paused, searching for the right word. "Nothing."

Casey looked away from his face. 'Nothing.'

'Nothing' was worse then just being close friends with him. It was worse, way worse then anything they could've been. 'Nothing' meant she was less then dirt in his eyes.

"So that's what I wanted to tell you," he said. His voice had that cruel, sharp edge to it. "That whatever we had back there," he pointed to the road, "it's gone; it's over."

Casey nodded, but couldn't exactly find the right words. He turned and walked away. Tears burned in her eyes but she would not let them fall.

* * *

The drive to Charlottetown was long, even though it was probably only a half hour drive from Borden-Carleton.

The rest of the family was still all smiles, even Derek seemed happier and back to his normal, asshole-self. He joked with the family and played games with Marti and completely ignored Casey.

But it was better that way.

She probably wouldn't be able to handle it if he started talking to her like nothing had happened, when, indeed, _everything_ had happened.

That small crush she had on Derek – it just blew up in her face. Instead of overcoming it slowly like she had wanted to, it just ended up leaving her with a big, broken, empty heart.

"Look at that beauty!" George yelled. He even let out a small hoot as they pulled up to the little cabin they had rented.

It was on a hill with trees surrounding it. The trees weren't exactly a forest, but weren't exactly sparse, either. Towards the right of the house was a fenced off cliff that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.

For a moment Casey let herself get caught up in the excitement of this new place – their new home for the next few weeks. It was beautiful, and she felt inspired.

Lizzie, Edwin and Marti all ran inside to claim their rooms. The girls would be sleeping in the same room, the boys in another and the parents in their own. Casey trusted Marti to claim the best, biggest room with the best lookout. Even if Edwin claimed it first, Marti would pout her way into trading up.

And as she grabbed her luggage from the trunk, she almost completely forgot about everything that had happened. She watched her family and it felt the same. Completely normal and exactly how it had been back in London.

Derek was just her annoying stepbrother.

* * *

**Oh wow, another embarrassingly short chapter. This one was only 3 pages! My, my, my I'm losing my touch.**

**Anyways…**

**The next chapter (the last chapter!), will be coming out SOON! Really soon. Before September, I promise.**

**This one was a little too angsty and awkward for me, but the next one will bring what **_**everyone's **_**been waiting for.**

**By the way... can you believe its been a year since the Margaret arc was introduced? I can't believe it! It seems like it was only yesterday! I can't believe I left you guys hanging on what she said to him for a year. Jeeze, I'm a horrible person.**


	23. Charlottetown

**To Charlottetown  
**_**Chapter 23: Charlottetown**_

_**A/N**_: _Wow! Wow, wow wow! What can I say? The last chapter is finally here guys and I just really want to thank you all, from the bottom, top and middle of my heart, for reviewing and liking this story. I can't believe it's almost been two years since I first started it! Wow! I have really changed as a writer and person since then. I can't believe this story is finally finishing._

_I am sooo sorry for how late this is. I broke my promise of having it out by September 2009! Well, it's 2010 now and haha.. well…. Let's just read on then, shall we?_

_**WARNING: **some swears! Sorry, I just didn't think the writing would have the same emotion otherwise… ;P_

* * *

That night Casey didn't sleep well.

It wasn't just what happened with Derek, either, even though that held up a good portion of her thinking space. No, Mother Nature decided the McDonald-Venturi's didn't go through enough and made it start storming in the middle of the night.

The fact that she was sleeping in a strange room, in a strange place, with it thundering outside was enough to equal insomnia.

She looked over at Marti and Lizzie, both curled up on the queen-sized bed. She was glad they were sleeping soundly, but the pains in her back from sleeping on the half-broken couch futon in their room snapped any tiredness she had from her body.

With a groan she got up and stretched. Her whole body ached, and not just from the crappy bed. She felt physically weak from Derek's words.

"Nothing," she murmured. That word had repeated in her mind over and over again until it mashed and lost all meaning. But she could still see his face, still see how happy and relieved he looked while he said that.

Was she really nothing to him? Did all that happen really mean nothing to him?

She felt tears prickle in her eyes, because deep down she knew she still liked him. Could she ever get over it? Get over how easily he threw the idea of 'them' away?

Casey sucked in a deep breath and wandered out into the hallway, fumbling around, tripping over the unfamiliar hallway until she reached the kitchen.

But what exactly did she want? This was Derek. As close as they had gotten, he would never throw everything away to see if they could work. And what about Mom, and George? The family? How would they react?

Casey bent and looked into the fridge. One of the wonderful packages that came with this Charlottetown deal was that the fridge came fully loaded with snacks. Granted, they were a few days late…

She picked up a piece of cheese and sniffed it.

Nah, it wasn't _that _rotten. She cut a few pieces then grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and started slicing that. Cooking – or doing anything that required concentration, really – always took her mind off her problems, no matter how short it lasted.

"Apples and cheese?" someone said. Startled, she looked up and felt a pang of some sort of emotion hit her in the chest. It wasn't a good kind of "emotion." It hurt.

"It's nutritious," Casey said, hurriedly looking down and quickening her slicing.

"No, it's disgusting," Derek replied. She couldn't see him but she knew he was leaning on the counter, watching her. How could his eye burn holes into the back of her head like that?

Casey didn't know what to say, so the room lapsed into an uncomfortable, awkward silence. The only noise was made by the knife hitting the cutting board.

With a start Casey looked out the kitchen window and realized it wasn't storming anymore. With a quick glance at the clock saying it was 6 am, Casey almost smiled at how beautiful the morning was. The sun had yet to peak out, but the outside world was bathed in a green-blue light.

"Casey…," Derek murmured. She didn't acknowledge him but her shoulders hunched forward. "Casey, look, okay? What I said back there… I wasn't…," he stopped and she spun to face him.

"You weren't what? Hmm? Trying to make things awkward? Trying to make things between us uncomfortable? What weren't you doing, Derek?" He shot her a look.

"I wasn't trying to make you hate me."

"I don't hate you," Casey said, then shook her head. "Do you want some? I'm not hungry anymore." She gestured to the cheese and apple slices.

"Casey, just stop and listen, okay? You know I'm not good with these kinds of things."

"Fine, I'm listening. Now what do you want?" He sucked in a deep breath and seemed to be struggling with words. His mouth moved up and down and his lips squished together, but after a few minutes of complete silence, he finally said, "I want you to take a walk with me."

Casey was dumbfounded. Before she could say anything along the lines of, _"what the hell?!" _Derek said, "Just… do it, please?"

Since he was asking nicely, how could she resist?

Casey didn't know her way around Charlottetown – how could she, she had never been here before? So the whole time she and Derek were walking down the drive she was making a mental map. A few of the early-rising Charlottetown inhabitants greeted them warmly when they passed through a little market.

"Casey. I want you to be straight-up with me."

"Okay…?"

"This is going to be the only time I ask about your emotions but… how do you feel when you're around me? What do you feel?"

Casey bit down on her tongue. Tell the truth and be mortally embarrassed or lie and maybe miss out on something big?

"I… I… don't know. You make me so angry I just want to strangle you, but when I'm around you its like…," she paused, choosing her words carefully, trying not to sound cheesy. "It's like I feel alive, I don't know. I think I might – " she bit the sentence off, looking away, than snuck a glance at Derek. He was running a hand tiredly over his face and inhaling deeply.

"Derek?"

"That's just real great, Casey, isn't it?" he said. His words had a sharp and bitter edge to them.

"What… what—?"

"Just real fucking great. See, what we went through trying to get here? I wish I could forget it. I wish we never went past hating each other, because now we're stuck here like this, asking ourselves where the hell we go from here."

"If that's how you feel –,"

"No, let me finish. Casey, you are the most obnoxious girl I have ever met, and sometimes I wish I never even met you. Sometimes I wish our parents never met. Sometimes I wish you still lived in Toronto and had your own little life, and I had my own. Sometimes I just really _hate _you."

_Ouch. _She looked away, feeling tears form in her eyes again.

"Look at me, Casey." He stopped and put a hand under her chin, turning her face until he could see her eyes. Then his lips turned up in the tiniest of smiles.

"But I didn't realize why until just recently. Why did I have so much hate for this girl?" She tried not to blink as he stared at her, knowing that if she did the tears would start pouring.

"It's because of the way she makes me feel; the way she makes me realize things, the way she has a patience that no one else has around me. I thought I hated you, and I thought that was that. Was I ever fucking wrong." He smiled and Casey felt her heart leap into her throat. She tried not to make too much sense of what he was saying, in case her conclusions were wrong.

He put both of his hands on either side of her face.

"Casey, I'm in love with you."

Something let go inside of her and she let out some sort of gasping-laughing noise. She hadn't realized until just then that their bodies were touching and how perfectly _amazing _it felt to feel his body against hers, without the hate or confusion.

She reached up and cupped her head in her hands, leaning forward until her forehead touched his shoulder. His hands fell from her face to her arms.

"You don't know how happy I am to here that. I was going through torture trying to figure you out, trying to figure us out. I couldn't even think, or sleep, or eat…," his hands slipped around her wrist and pulled them away from her face. "And I didn't know how long this was going to last, or whether or not –,"

"Casey?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Shut-up, I'm trying to be romantic." Casey managed to smile before Derek's hand wove around to the back of her neck, bringing their faces closer and closer until his lips, finally, after so long, met hers.

Something erupted inside of Casey and she grabbed the front of his shirt, only aware she was crying when the tears dripped off her chin and landed on her arm.

She pulled away. "I'm sorry, I'm crying, ruining the moment…,"

"I'm fine with your tears… just this one time," Derek said, pulling her against him into a hug.

Standing in the middle of a road in an unfamiliar place can be scary, but when you're in the arms of someone you love, the feeling you get makes you want to take on the world, it makes you invincible. What Casey felt at that moment was exactly that.

* * *

"So, what are we?" Casey asked. Derek linked his pinky finger with hers, lifting his shoulders up in a shrug.

"We're… something."

"We've always been 'something.' We have never, _ever_, been normal."

"And let's promise we won't ever be that… normal. Normal is for losers." Casey smiled, shaking her head. Their Charlottetown house came into view and she inhaled.

"What do we tell our parents?" Casey asked.

"Do you have to ruin the moment with a question like that?" he said. Casey rolled her eyes, smacking him in the chest.

"We'll have to talk about it sometime."

"That 'sometime' isn't now."

"Fine."

"Fine," he mimicked, then held the front door open for her. It was a brief chivalrous moment, and Casey knew there were to be few to come, but for some reason she was totally okay with that.

As they headed around to their bedrooms, they bumped right into Lizzie and Edwin.

"I _knew _it," Lizzie said, pointing an accusing finger at their joined hands. Derek and Casey immediately separated, looking flustered.

"It's – it's nothing! Just uh…,"

"Quite stuttering, Case, we've always known this was going to happen. Ain't that right, Ed?"

"Yep," he said, "In fact, we were taking bets on when exactly you two would become an item."

"We're not 'an item,'" Derek snapped, grabbing the front of Edwin's shirt.

"Chillax, bro, I won't tell the parents. But uh…," he glanced at Lizzie briefly, smirking. "Someone's going to have to drop the bomb to them before they discover all the notes we have on you guys."

"There are _notes_?!?" Casey gasped.

"Oh, don't be acting all surprised. It was pretty obvious from the start that uh… Derek… why are you staring at me like that?"

"Like what? That I'm gonna murder you?"

"Yeah."

"Because maybe I'm about to."

"Ha-ha… ha…? Der—?"

"You better run," Derek said, chasing Edwin down the hallway. Casey laughed and shook her head.

So maybe some things changed, and maybe some things didn't, but Casey knew that, at least at that moment, she was perfectly fine being in the McDonald-Venturi household.

It was probably the only time in history that Casey didn't feel the need to change one thing about her life.

At least at that moment, anyway.

* * *

**Well, this is the part where I get all sappy. This story has been on-going for a very important part of my life (high school!) and I can't believe it's finally finished. I started it when I was in grade 9, and I'm in grade 11 now. I just… wow! Haha, pretty speechless right now.**

**With the end of this story comes the end of my dabble into the Dasey fandom (for the most part.) I'll probably be around Dasey Nation when the movie comes out, but other then that… I guess this is the end of me and Dasey.**

**Again, I just want to thank each and every one of you – which I will! I know I haven't always review-replied, but since this is THE END of fandom for me, I will reply to EACH review I get (any questions? Ask away! I'll answer them.) **

**Even if you're reading this now and have no intention of leaving a review, I just want to thank you for reading my words and taking the time to enjoy it. That's all a writer could ever ask for.**

**Haha, I guess this author's note is too long. Thanks for reading, and have all the best you wonderful people deserve. Seriously, you guys deserve the world.**

**- Veronica.**


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